June 21, 2018•Update: June 21, 2018
By Yusuf Hatip
BRUSSELS
The EU needs to agree quickly on the second tranche of €3 billion for the facility of Syrian refugees in Turkey, an EU commissioner said Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Brussels, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said both the EU and Turkey have to keep implementing the EU-Turkey Statement agreed in March 2016.
The March 2016 EU- Turkey deal aims to stop irregular migration through the Aegean Sea and improve the conditions of Syrian refugees in Turkey.
"The statement has shown that when both sides are mutually committed and make efforts, important results can be achieved. Arrivals have been kept low. But to sustain this, both parts need to keep their commitments."
Avramopoulos said: "This means for the EU agreeing quickly on the second installment of €3 billion for the Facility for Syrian Refugees in Turkey. And it also means activating the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission scheme."
Turkey hosts nearly 3.6 million Syrian refugees, according to a refugee association data.
As of the beginning of 2018, Turkey has nearly spent $30 billion for the refugees it hosts, according to a report by the Turkish parliament.
In 2016, Turkey was named the most generous nation as per percentage to gross national income and it came in second after the U.S. on a list of most charitable countries in the world.
During the press briefing, the commissioner also said that thanks to EU-Turkey Statement, irregular migration started to stem.
"Arrival numbers are now back, and even below, pre-crisis years. In the Eastern Mediterranean, arrivals have dropped by 97% compared to before the EU-Turkey Statement, and by 77% in the Central Mediterranean compared to the same period last year," he said.
"Over 600,000 lives have been saved in the past three years thanks to the enormous efforts of Member States supported by significantly strengthened EU operations," the commissioner added.
