Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke on Friday evening in a phone call to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan, the refugee situation and regional issues.
The meeting came as the two countries expressed concern over a possible large influx of people fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban was captured.
In the phone call, Erdoğan said Turkey wants a smooth transition of power in Afghanistan and stressed that the new government must represent the diversity of the Afghan people.
The president also said the European Union must help Afghans not only in Afghanistan, but also in neighboring countries, especially Iran. He also warned that if the necessary measures are not taken in Iran, another wave of refugees is inevitable.
Erdogan also said Turkey is in contact with Iran and is taking precautions at the border.
The Turkish leader also said that the EU must fulfill its commitments in accordance with the March 18 refugee agreement and that declaring Turkey a safe third country does not nullify the responsibilities of the international community.
Greece has repeatedly said it will not allow a repeat of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed to the Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast before heading for Greece and the Balkans north to more prosperous countries. the European Union.
On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to take responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, warning that Turkey will not become Europe’s “refugee warehouse.”
The previous day, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the current priority was to evacuate EU and Afghan citizens who had worked there with EU forces, but that Greece “does not accept being the gateway to ‘entry of irregular flows into the EU “.
Speaking to Skai TV in Greece, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan and “there are countries east of us that could provide initial protection when needed.” Turkey, he added, was a safe country for Afghan citizens.
The comments have come amid an increase in recent weeks in the number of Afghans entering Turkey across the border with Iran.
“We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe, which has become the center of attraction for millions of people, cannot stay out of the (refugee) problem by hard sealing its borders to protect security and the well-being of its citizens, ”Erdogan said.
“Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe’s refugee warehouse,” he added.
Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreign nationals, including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans. He said about 1.1 million are foreigners with a residence permit.
In 2016, Turkey and the European Union signed an agreement with Turkey to stop the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees heading to Europe, in exchange for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and significant EU financial support.
Ankara has often accused the EU of not keeping its side of the negotiation, while the deal has caused thousands of asylum seekers to remain in deaf refugee camps in the eastern Greek islands.
The migration problem has also sparked outbreaks of tension between Greece and Turkey, NATO neighbors and allies that have reached the brink of war several times since the mid-1970s.
In March 2020, Turkey announced that its borders with the EU were open and encouraged thousands of immigrants to head to the Greek border, causing chaotic scenes as Greece closed its border crossings with Turkey.