EU's call for Turkey to open borders raises eyebrows
by Daily Sabah
ISTANBULOct 22, 2014 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Oct 22, 2014 12:00 am
On Monday, EU foreign ministers called on Turkey to open its border to help the Syrian town of Kobani - also known as Ayn al-Arab - which is experiencing fierce clashes between Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants and Kurdish groups. "The situation in Kobani and in other areas under siege and experiencing fierce fighting against [ISIS] is a matter of serious concern," read a statement issued by 28 EU foreign ministers after a regular meeting in Luxembourg. The statement that hails Turkey's efforts to shelter refugees from Kobani called on Turkey to open its border for "any supply" for the Kobani people.
According to AFP news agency, EU diplomatic sources said that the phrase of "any supply" would cover arms or fighters crossing the border. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also announced on Monday that Turkey is assisting Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces cross into Kobani. The statement issued by the EU foreign minister raised eyebrows in Turkey considering the country's humanitarianbased open door policy to receive wartorn Syrian refugees. Due to the open door policy, fear of controlling and preventing ISIS militants and other terrorist organizations' passage into the country is escalating in Turkey, as the ISIS threat is just a few kilometers away from Turkish borders. According to government officials, there are nearly two million Syrian refugees in Turkey. According to European Resettlement Network, among EU countries resettling Syrian refugees, Denmark pledged to resettle 140, Belgium pledged to resettle 150, France pledged to resettle 500, Sweden pledged to resettle 1,200, Germany pledged to resettle 20,000, while Luxembourg only pledged to resettle 60.
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