On the one hand, do not pitch up further on Turkey which "Is not an enemy", insisted Wednesday 4 March, the Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. On the other hand, clearly supporting Greece, even if it means hushing up the criticisms usually made against this member state for its chaotic management, since 2015, of the migration issue.
This was the double objective of the extraordinary meeting of European interior and migration ministers in Brussels on Wednesday March 4, while the diplomacy of the 27 member states is trying at all costs to avoid the risk of a new crisis. large scale.
At the insistence of Germany, the ministers did not "Condemned" the opening of borders to migrants decided by President Recep Taayip Erdogan. It was the formula chosen at the start. It was eventually replaced by the "Firm condemnation" of "The use of migratory pressure for political ends".
Discussions with Recep Tayyip Erdogan
On Wednesday, the President of the Council, Charles Michel, and the High Representative Josep Borrell were in Ankara for a discussion, qualified as "Frank", with the Turkish president. And on Friday, foreign ministers will strive in Zagreb to bring a stand against the risk of "Major international confrontation" that Mr. Borrell describes when he talks about Syria.
Mr. Erdogan, in any case, clearly links the question of migration and that of war: calling on the countries of the Union to assume their "Burden share" in welcoming migrants and refugees, he reiterated on Wednesday to his European interlocutors that a solution to the migration crisis required support for his country in its fight against Bashar Al-Assad's forces in Syria. Borrell responded by pledging only € 170 million in emergency aid to deal with the dire humanitarian situation that arose from the offensive launched last December by the Damascus regime in the Idlib region. .
Brussels could also try to partially adapt the 2016 migration agreement with Turkey and plan new aid measures. We would also relaunch certain promises made at the time, including a more liberal visa policy and "A lot of other things that were planned and that weren't done"said Mr. Borrell.
Support Athens
Simultaneously, in Brussels, the challenge was to show solidarity with Greece "Clear and firm" claimed by the three ministers whom she had delegated to the Home Affairs Council. "We are not accusing Turkey because we are Greek, but because Ankara cynically exploited desperate people", stressed, before the meeting, Georgios Koumoutsakos, the Minister for Migration. Supporting video, the three officials intended to demonstrate that the Turkish regime had long planned the transfer of thousands of migrants to their country.
