EU must fulfill refugee deal obligations: Slovenian President Pahor
Türkiye took responsibility for discouraging migration
he European Union must fulfill its part of the obligation to which it committed in the 2016 refugee deal with Türkiye, the Slovenian president said in Türkiye on Tuesday.
Addressing Turkish envoys at the 13th Ambassadors Conference in the capital Ankara, Pahor added: "The world is much more interconnected and interdependent, it is globalized. It is in our strategic interest to avoid a new bloc division of the world, any new Cold War.", Qazet.az reports.
Pahor also commended ties with Türkiye, saying: "Relations between the two countries are growing stronger every year."
In March 2016, Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement to reduce the number of migrants taking the dangerous Aegean Sea route to Europe and find a solution for the influx of migrants heading to EU countries. According to the deal, Türkiye was promised 6 billion euros ($7.30 billion) in financial aid. It was initially designed to be given to the country in two stages and used by the Turkish government to finance projects for Syrian migrants. Visa freedom for Turkish citizens was also part of the agreement. In addition, the EU-Turkey Customs Union was to be updated.
In exchange for these promises, Türkiye took responsibility for discouraging migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of Syrian migrants living in the country. Despite significant developments controlling migration traffic, Türkiye has frequently noted that the EU has not fully delivered on its commitments stated in the deal and criticized the international community for its indifference to the migrant crisis.
Pahor also saluted Türkiye's "mediating role between Russia and Ukraine," adding that it is "valuable that it is not pushing for peace at any price, but is endeavoring to solve those problems that alleviate the tragedies of the Ukrainian people and the problems of people everywhere in the world."
He also thanked Ankara for reaching a landmark grain export deal with the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine.
On July 22, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine signed the landmark deal to reopen three Ukrainian ports for grain that had long been stuck due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
A team from the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, with representatives from all four sides, inspects each ship before it departs for its destination.
Russia's war on Ukraine "has fundamentally undermined the already fragile trust between the West and Russia," the Slovenian president said.
"The decision of (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin to attack Ukraine was a surprise and disappointment," adding that "Russia's aggression on Ukraine" damaged "the fragile trust" between the West and Moscow.
Mentioning the "good relations" Slovenia and Russia enjoyed for over 15 years until the start of the war this Feb. 24, Pahor said his country "never felt threatened by Russia," while "Eastern European friends have always described Russia as a direct or indirect threat to their security."
However, he said the war changed everything. Stating that "rational reasons" spoke against Putin's decision on Ukraine, Pahor said he is now "very cautious" about his predictions of the course of events.