The European Union called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday to remove obstacles to reviving relations with the country. The leaders at a summit that included United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the rule of law and fundamental rights in Turkey remain a major concern for them.
While ongoing European discussions address two contentious issues—migration and relations with Ankara and Moscow—as well as the refugee crisis, Turkey, which hosts around 4 million Syrian refugees, is considered a partner of the Union. The EU signed an agreement with Turkey in 2016 aimed at halting the flow of migrants in exchange for financial aid to humanitarian organizations active in the country.
European leaders also discussed a proposal from the European Commission to allocate €5.7 billion in aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan until 2024, including €3.5 billion for refugees in Turkey. It is worth noting that the EU had previously allocated over €6 billion to Turkey under the 2016 agreement, of which €4.1 billion has been spent so far.
European hopes are to continue the "de-escalation" that has been ongoing in the eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, according to a European source speaking to the French news agency. It is noteworthy that earlier this month, the Council of Europe threatened for the first time to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Turkey for failing to comply with a court order to release businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, a civil society activist and critic of President Erdoğan.
Kavala has been imprisoned since his arrest in October 2017 and faces multiple charges linked to protests that occurred in 2013 and the 2016 coup attempt. He denies these charges and remains in prison despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in December 2019 calling for his release.
