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More Fears for EU-Turkey Migration Deal as Ankara Hits Out at 'One-Way Road'

© AFP 2023 / ADEM ALTANTurkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara (File)
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara (File) - Sputnik International
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There is more concern over the EU-Turkey migration deal, with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim accusing the EU of not holding up its end to the deal, labeling the situation a "one-way road."

Amid ongoing tension between Ankara and Brussels over the migration agreement, Yildirim took aim at Brussels over a series of alleged failures to meet earlier promises made to Turkish authorities.

"We signed an agreement with the EU and it has not been implemented," he was quoted as saying by the Times.

"Europe has only received 1,000 Syrians, when they should have taken 100,000," Yildirim added.

​The Turkish prime minister also took aim at the EU over its delay in paying aid money pledged to Turkey to assist the country throughout the migration crisis.

"€3 billion (US$3.38 billion) of aid was committed to us and we have not heard anything about this. Nor have we heard anything about the visa exemption. This is unfair — it is a one-way road," he said.

Fears Over Visa Issue

The issue of the visa liberalization for Turks within the EU is posing as a key issue that could eventually scupper the migration deal.

Turkey has accused the EU of backtracking on the promise of visa-free travel, warning that if such a measure isn't introduced by October, then the migration agreement could be rescinded.

​"If our demands our not satisfied then the readmissions will no longer be possible," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month.

"There are currently three million refugees in Turkey, and the only concern of EU member states is that those refugees do not reach their territories."

​The EU has rejected the criticism however, saying that visa liberalization for Turkish citizens will be granted once Turkey meets a series of guidelines, which includes the reformation of the country's anti-terror laws.

Following Turkey's failed coup in July, Ankara has refused to review the anti-terror laws, setting up a standoff between Turkey and the EU over the issue.

​While the EU-Turkey migration has largely been credited with helping to stop the flow of refugees and migration across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, officials have noted an increase in arrivals in recent months.

There are fears that a diplomatic breakdown could scupper the deal, which many believe would be disastrous for the EU as it could unleash a fresh migration crisis for the beleaguered bloc.

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