ANKARA (Sputnik) — The European Union has not yet transferred the promised 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) to help toward meeting the needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
"We ourselves gave shelter to millions of our Syrian brothers. The European Union has promised us 3 billion [euros]. Where is it? Nowhere," Erdogan said, speaking in the Turkish capital.
22 August 2016, 14:19 GMT
In mid-March, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a deal, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis. In return, the European Union pledged to provide a total of 3 billion euros to Turkey to help it deal with refugees, with a possible further 3 billion-euro provision in 2018.
Turkey currently hosts over 2 million of Syrian migrants, who fled across the border to escape violence in their home country.
