As stipulated by the European Union’s deal with Turkey, Greece has returned a group of migrants on a ferry from Lesbos to Turkey early on Friday. The EU deal expects to reduce the number of migrants entering Europe through Greece.
The first ferry to arrive at the Dikili port in the Turkish town brought 45 migrants with it while the second one carried 79 people. According to a report from Reuters, both ferries carried mostly men from Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan, adding up to about 325 migrants deported from the Greek Islands to Turkey.
The deal between the European Union and Ankara hopes to reduce the excessive migration due to precarious conditions in the Middle East. Deported migrants being brought back to Turkey will expect further instructions at a camp near the country’s border with Bulgaria. Considering the number of people wanting to flee from the war-like conditions in the Middle East, it’s important for country borders to set the record straight on how many people each country can take.
Thus, the deal proposed by the European Union is set to address the issue of mass migration to Europe and find ways to get migrants safe while further arrangements to house refugees are completed. The EU agreement was introduced a while ago, yet it was put in action earlier this week when 202 migrants were sent back from the Greek Islands.
The deal does not only consists on preventing the mass migration problem to get out of control but also states that people coming from Turkey to Greece are likely to be deported on sight, after March 20. Still, this could mean nothing if the expulsions of migrants from Turkey doesn’t consider a plan for the thousands of people to settle in on a definite place.
Terms & Conditions
Nevertheless, the arrangement between the EU and Turkey shows steps in the right direction to solve the refugee crisis once and for all. The terms of the EU’s deal contemplates an equal exchange from both the EU and Greece regarding the migrants each can take in.
For each Syrian migrant deported by Greek authorities to Turkey, the EU has agreed to take a Syrian refugee, as long as it meets the requirements for asylum in the country.
And the plan seems to be working out, regardless of what activists for personal rights and advocates for refugees might think. According to Turkish officials, a couple of right activists dove into the water as the boat filled with migrants was leaving the Greek island of Lesbos.
In addition to the migrant exchange between the EU and Greece, the terms of the deal also include monetary compensation to Ankara, as well as expedite visa-free travel for its citizens, said Turkish authorities.
Source: Reuters