HarekAct offers a topical and chronological collection of news on the EU-Turkish border regime under this section. We link to external newspapers and websites and do not hold the copyright.
Views and opinions expressed in the articles published on HarekAct are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of all editorial board members.
Most of the 3.5m Syrians in Turkey can at least work, but the future is precarious
Via The Economist –GAZIANTEP | Returning to Turkey from Germany with four children in tow was not easy for Faisl Alakrch, a 36-year-old Syrian. He had to use a people-smuggler to retrace, in reverse, the route he had taken the year before. His younger brothers have remained in Germany and are studying at university, but he wanted to work, and complains that “I could not do anything there.” Turkey, by contrast, has made it easy for him to operate. He was able to register a company and set up a café in Gaziantep, a city close to the Syrian border. He has now been invited to become a Turkish citizen. His six-year-old son speaks a mixture of German, Turkish and Arabic. Continue reading Syrian refugees find Turkey more welcoming than western Europe→
Via DW (17.08) – The German Interior Ministry has announced it has reached a deal that will allow it to return asylum-seekers to Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain’s Pedro Sanchez agreed to a similar compromise last week.
Via Ahval (17.08.2017) – Turkey aims to open a new border gate with Iraq in order to allow it to trade with its southern neighbour and bypass territory controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, pro-government Star newspaper said. Continue reading Turkey aims to open new border gate with Iraq→
Via Sputnik (23.07.18) – Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Monday that Turkey was not fulfilling its agreement with the European Union to help curb migration to Europe, despite Ankara having received financial aid that was promised under the deal, pointing out that 1,200 migrants had arrived to Italy from Turkey since the beginning of 2018.
Via The New Arab– Turkey is set to create more safe zones in Syria to allow refugees who fled the civil war – around half of them to Turkey – to return home.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday at his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) provincial headquarters in the city of Trabzon, that 250,000 people had already returned to Syria.
“God willing soon we will have liberated more places and made more areas safe,” he said, reported Reuters.
Refugees and migrants arrive in an overloaded rubber dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos (Lesvos), Greece, 15 December 2015 after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. EPA/STRINGER
ViaInfomigrants – A new migrant route from Turkey has been opened up by human traffickers – particularly Ukrainian and Russian – to transport migrants to Europe, mainly through Italy. In recent weeks, the smugglers have used sailboats and landed on the beaches of Sicily at night. Continue reading New migrant route involves sailboats from Turkey→
Via euobserver – “I get depressed here. I want to go to a good school to study,” said a bright, 12-year-old girl from Afghanistan, who’s been stuck for six months in the grim Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. “If we don’t study we won’t have a future and we won’t become successful.” Continue reading Children losing out on education in EU migration deal→
Via Infomigrants(1st August)– The migrant route from Turkey to Europe is rising in popularity. Some 14,470 people trying to use it have been stopped by the Turkish Coast Guard so far in 2018, a 60 percent increase on the previous year. Continue reading Migrant route from Turkey more popular→
Via Daily Sabah (20th July) –Forty-four illegal immigrants who were apprehended by Turkish troops near the border, claimed they were beaten by Bulgarian police and sent back to Turkey, the İhlas News Agency reported. Migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran were discovered by gendarme troops guarding the border between Turkey and Bulgaria in the Kofçaz district of the Turkish province of Kırklareli on Friday. They told Turkish officials that they crossed into Bulgaria three days ago but were captured by Bulgarian police. They claimed Bulgarian police officers beat them and stole their money and valuable possessions before sending them back to the Turkish side of the border. Continue reading Migrants claim abuse by Bulgarian police→
