Opinion: EU, Turkey Need Each Other and a New Refugee Deal
Ozgur Unluhisarcikli
Director, Ankara OfficeThe refugee crisis on Turkey's borders can only be resolved with a new EU deal. It should build on the current plan but avoid its flaws, writes Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
It must first be noted that Turkey, Greece, and the EU have failed on humanitarian grounds with the way they've approached the problem over the last few months.
Turkey tried to funnel migrants from different countries to Greece in order extract concessions from the EU. Greece pushed back the migrants using methods that are totally unacceptable from a human rights perspective. The EU practically endorsed Greece's breach of human rights and European values by extending unconditional support to it despite the actions of the Greek security forces at the border and in the Aegean Sea.
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