The European Union will insist on an action plan that includes joint Greek-Turkish patrols in the Aegean in order to tackle the refugee crisis, according to an official EU document.
According to a Euro2day.gr report citing an official EU document dated November 6, the EU will pressure Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to accept joint operations between Greece’s and Turkey’s coast guards in the Aegean in order to stop people smugglers. Athens has repeatedly refused the proposal on the grounds that Turkey might raise territorial claims.
The document clearly states that the EU considers Turkey as having a critical role in resolving the refugee issue and is willing to make concessions such as abolishing visa requirements for Turkish citizens and expedite Turkey’s accession in the EU. In exchange, Turkey will receive refugees that are sent back from EU member states.
The document was given to the delegations of some member countries of the EU during the Malta summit as a guideline on the prevailing attitude in relations with Turkey but also of what may be requested by the Greek side. The specific part reads as follows:
“Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras might want to underline the progress made in Greece. We recommend you sound supportive, but to continue to press on a number of issues which we quote below. ”
The confidential document says about Turkey:
“Greece believes that Turkey is mainly responsible for the immigration crisis in Greece, mainly because of the refugees arriving in the eastern Aegean coast. For this reason Greece constantly insists that a tough line must be taken with regard to Turkey and that the EU must not give Ankara any ‘gifts’ in exchange for aid in the refugee issue.
The Greek approach that ignores the huge humanitarian burden borne by Turkey, resulted in Greece not being cooperative at the summit (on immigration) in which the Turkey-EU action plan for refugees was discussed.”
According to the document, “Our position is that Turkey does not consciously and deliberately send refugees through Greece, like Greece does with FYROM.”
Regarding the approach towards Greece, the document says, “In the coming weeks we will need the help of Greece in two ways:
1. Some of the chapters on the conditions for Turkey’s EU accession must be agreed on unanimously.
2. In order to manage the entry of immigrants there should be greater cooperation between the coastguards of Greece and Turkey. On Friday, the Greek press extensively covered the comments by Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker for 10 km in the Aegean.
Clearly these are very sensitive issues for Greek domestic politics. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will probably ask to be more informed and to be involved actively in the decisions taken for Turkey, in the form of pre-consultation.
Greece may also express reservations about the summit in Malta as well as the idea of the EU-Turkey Summit: from his perspective there have been several recent meetings and interest should focus on implementing what has been agreed on.”
The document concludes with the recommendation for the line to be followed by the EU towards Greece:
1. “We must insist on two points: That Greece has much to gain from the Action Plan of the EU-Turkey Association Council on Refugees and support that this will decompress its borders.
2. Turkey will not act just because we asked and because we recognize the burden borne. We need to help Turkey and be involved with the country on a political level.
3. We must convey to Mr. Tsipras that Turkey will not receive any ‘gifts’ and that the implementation of the Action Plan will be done step by step. To say that the key issues such as visa liberalization and the opening of accession chapters will be made once we have received commitments from Ankara for the return of refugees.
4. To highlight the numbers of refugees drowning as the number one problem in order for us to promote our goal which is a common Greece-Turkey coastguard and say that if this is not done, then there will be gaps to be exploited by traffickers with tragic consequences.
5. To recognize that there are still territorial disputes between Greece and Turkey and to ask Mr. Tsipras to tell us if he will be more comfortable if the joint patrols in the Aegean are done with Frontex playing a larger role.”
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