Turkey

Erdogan accuses EU word-break

The European Union fails to comply with its Commitments in the framework of the Flüchtlingspakts – Turkish President Erdogan is convinced. Noticeable doubt as to his own policy, he did not.

“We stand by our promise. But the Europeans have kept their promise?”, head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked in an Exclusive Interview, the First German television (ARD).

So the EU have not kept their financial Promises to support the approximately three million Syrian refugees in Turkey so far. “Three billion were agreed,” stressed Erdogan, however, had come so far only symbolic sums of money. The Turkish President said in the ARD Interview, one to two million. “The European Ruling is not honest,” Erdogan said.

Controversial Pact

In March, the agreement provides that Turkey will take back all the Greek Aegean Islands arriving refugees, whose asylum application was rejected in Greece. In return, the EU said, for each of the Turkey taken back Syrians legally a Syrian refugee from Turkey. In addition, the European Union pledged aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Refugees in Greece: Back to Turkey?

Since the failed military coup in Turkey has flared up in the EU, the debate whether the refugee Pact should be continued at all. In the case of human rights, the agreement from the start was bumped on the sharp criticism.

“The people have the Say”

His tough action against political opponents defended Erdogan. If it did not seek an extension to the three-month state of emergency, he left it open. “If there is a normalization, we do not need the second three months”, said the head of state. Responded to a possible re-introduction of the death penalty in Turkey, Erdogan referred to the will of the people. “If we are in a democratic state of law, the people Say. And the people, what it says today? You want the death penalty re-introduced,” Erdogan said.

His spokesman Ibrahim Kalin had recently said that he would consider the execution of the coup leaders for “a fair punishment”. The EU had warned that the re-introduction of the death penalty, the cancellation of the EU accession talks would result.

wa/cw (ard, rtr, afp, dpa)