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| "Some German and European officials believe Erdoğan had a hand in unleashing the crisis by essentially abandoning border controls. His aim, they say, was to gain leverage in Turkey’s dealings with the EU. If true, the tactic appears to have worked." |
Turkey
gets EU concessions in return for refugee help
Erdoğan
wins concessions from Merkel two weeks before Turkish elections.
By MATTHEW
KARNITSCHNIG 10/18/15, 11:54 PM CET
Angela Merkel agreed
at a meeting with Turkish leaders to help jumpstart Ankara’s EU
membership talks and relax visa requirements in exchange for a pledge
to slow the flow of refugees into Europe.
The German leader,
under intense pressure at home to reduce the number of refugees
heading for Germany, held separate meetings in Istanbul on Sunday
with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu to win their support.
The outcome amounted
to a bold quid pro quo that underscored the pressure she faces to
resolve the crisis quickly.
“We had a very
intensive and broad discussion,” Merkel said at a joint press
conference with Davutoğlu after their meeting. She added that
“Germany and Turkey are going to cooperate more closely.”
Turkey is viewed in
Berlin as the linchpin to resolving the crisis because it is the
entry point to Europe for most refugees and the only country in the
region with the resources to do more for those fleeing.
“The sharing of
the refugee burden should be fair,” Davutoğlu said. “Turkey has
been left alone in recent years.”
A Turkish qui pro
quo
The lengths Merkel
has gone to woo Ankara underscore just how central Turkey is to her
strategy.
By traveling to
Istanbul just two weeks before Turkish elections, the German leader
opened herself up to accusations she had allowed Erdoğan to use her
for his campaign. What’s more, her willingness to push ahead with
Turkey’s EU membership talks stands in sharp contrast to her
longstanding opposition to the country’s accession.
But with more than
400,000 refugees arriving in Germany in the past six weeks alone and
as many as 1.5 million expected during 2015, Merkel may have little
choice but to accept such concessions.
Up to 80 percent of
the refugees arriving in Europe are believed to cross through Turkey.
The country has taken in more than 2 million refugees from Syria,
spending about $8 billion to house and feed them.
Germany would “pay
its share” to reduce the burden on Ankara, Merkel said. The EU has
already pledged up to €1 billion, but Turkey is asking for €3
billion. Though Merkel said she supported additional aid, she didn’t
offer specifics.
Merkel’s visit was
the culmination of weeks of behind-the-scenes efforts by German and
European officials aimed at prodding Turkey into action. Europe wants
Turkey to begin enforcing its border by not letting refugees pass
into neighboring Greece. It also wants Ankara to adopt a so-called
“readmission agreement” with the EU which would obligate it to
take back individuals who have crossed the border illegally.
Some German and
European officials believe Erdoğan had a hand in unleashing the
crisis by essentially abandoning border controls. His aim, they say,
was to gain leverage in Turkey’s dealings with the EU. If true, the
tactic appears to have worked.
Just weeks ago,
Erdoğan faced intense criticism across Europe for renewing attacks
on Kurdish rebels as well as for his government’s recent crackdown
on the media.
In the November 1
election, Erdoğan hopes to regain the absolute majority in
parliament that that his Justice and Development party, or AKP, lost
in a June poll.
Showing progress in
Turkey’s dealings with Europe could give the Turkish leader the
boost he needs to achieve that goal. Turkey has pushed for visa-free
travel to the EU for years and winning the concession would count as
a significant political victory.
Appearing with
Merkel for the cameras after their meeting, Erdoğan offered few
details of their discussion.
“We talked about
sharing the burden, and the chancellor agreed to support Turkey,”
he said.
Authors:
Matthew Karnitschnig
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