Turkey can't handle new migrant wave from Syria, Erdoğan says

Reuters

Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Dec. 22, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx if violence in Syria's northwest is not stopped.

Turkey currently hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population in the world, and fears another wave from the Idlib region, where up to 3 million Syrians live in the last significant rebel-held swathe of territory.

Syrian and Russian forces have intensified their bombardment of targets in Idlib, which Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture, prompting a wave of refugees towards Turkey.

Speaking at an awards ceremony in Istanbul late on Dec. 22, Erdoğan said more than 80,000 people were currently on the move from Idlib to Turkey.

"If the violence towards the people of Idlib does not stop, this number will increase even more. In that case, Turkey will not carry such a migrant burden on its own," Erdoğan said.

"The negative impact of the pressure we will be subjected to will be something that all European nations, especially Greece, will also feel," he said, adding that a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis would become inevitable.

He also said Turkey was doing everything possible to stop Russian bombardments in Idlib, adding that a Turkish delegation would go to Moscow to discuss Syria on Dec. 23.

Erdoğan has previously threatened to "open the gates" for migrants to Europe unless Turkey got more support in hosting the refugees.

Erdoğan to Europe: Use your energy to stop the massacre in Idlib

Turkey is seeking international support for plans to settle 1 million Syrians in part of northeast Syria that its forces and their Syrian rebel allies seized from the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in a cross-border incursion in October.

Ankara has received little public backing for the proposal and has repeatedly slammed its allies for not supporting its plans. Turkey's offensive was also met with condemnation from allies, including the United States and European countries.

"We call on European countries to use their energy to stop the massacre in Idlib, rather than trying to corner Turkey for the legitimate steps it took in Syria," Erdoğan said on Dec. 22, referring to the three military operations Turkey has carried out in Syria.

After a global refugee forum in Geneva last week, the United Nations refugee agency said states pledged more than $3 billion to support refugees and around 50,000 resettlement places. But, Erdoğan, who attended the forum, said on Dec. 22 that sum was not enough.

U.N agencies say hundreds of people have been killed in Idlib this year after attacks on residential areas.

Russia and the Syrian army, which is loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, both deny allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas and say they are fighting al Qaeda-inspired Islamist militants.

Rescue teams said six people were killed in Maarat al Numan and 11 more in nearby villages on Dec. 20.

Earlier on Dec. 22, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said some 205,000 people had been displaced from their homes in Idlib since November due to the attacks. It said the fleeing civilians were going towards areas in Syria that Turkey seized in its military operations, or to other parts of Idlib.

Turkey will increase military support to Libya if necessary

Also on the same day, Erdoğan said that Turkey will increase its military support to the internationally recognized government of Libya if necessary and will evaluate ground, air and marine options, after the two signed a military cooperation accord last month.

Turkey backs Fayez al-Serraj's Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, which has been torn by factional conflict since 2011, and has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations arms embargo, according to a report by U.N. experts seen by Reuters last month.

Turkey has also said it could deploy troops to Libya if the GNA makes such a request. The GNA has been fighting a months-long offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces based in the east of the country. Haftar's forces have received support from Russia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Erdoğan said Turkey had recently provided "very serious" support to the GNA, adding Libya was a country Turkey would support "with its life."

"They are supporting an illegal warlord, who is the pawn of certain nations, instead of the U.N.-recognized government," Erdoğan said, in an apparent reference to Haftar and the countries which support him.

"If necessary, we will increase the military aspect of our support to Libya, and evaluate all our options, from the ground, air and sea," he said.

Speaking before Erdoğan, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey will stand by Libya's government until peace, stability and security are established in the country.

'Nobody should come to us with attempts to exclude us'

Last month, Turkey and the GNA signed an accord to boost military cooperation and a separate deal on maritime boundaries, which has enraged Greece. Ankara and Athens have been at odds over hydrocarbon resources off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus.

While Greece has said the accord violates international law, Turkey has rejected those accusations, saying it aims to protect its rights in the eastern Mediterranean. On Dec. 22, Erdoğan said Turkey will "absolutely" not turn back from its agreements with Libya.

"Nobody should come to us with attempts to exclude us, trap us in our own shores or steal our economic interests," Erdoğan said. "We have no intention of starting conflicts with anyone for no reason, or robbing anyone of their rights," he said.

"Those who oppose us have no sense of rights, law, justice, ethics or mercy," Erdogan said, referring to Greece, Israel and Egypt, who have opposed the maritime accord.

In an interview with Greek daily To Vima on Dec. 22, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the accord with Libya was in line with international law, adding Ankara may consider granting exploration licenses in areas determined by Turkey and Libya.

"It would be the exercise of our sovereign rights in our continental shelf in the region," Çavuşoğlu said. "The exercise of our sovereign rights also and naturally includes our right to deploy research vessels in the area," he was cited as saying.

In a first reaction from the United States on the agreement, a senior State Department official said the maritime accord was "unhelpful" and "provocative."

Responding to those comments, Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Dec. 22 the United States refused to understand Turkey's legitimate security concerns.

"It is neither 'provocative' nor 'unconstructive' as some US officials are claiming," Altun said on Twitter.

"Those who dare criticize Turkey should take a look at years of provocative actions by Greece and other regional states. We will never accept a fait accompli over our maritime borders!" he added.