APD | Turkey offensive in Syria to trigger more migrant influx to Europe, EU warns

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

**LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 9 (APD) - **Interior ministers of European Union (EU) countries warned that Turkey’s offensive plans in northeastern Syria could provoke new wave of migrant influx to Europe.

EU officials previously said that if goes ahead with the offensive plans in northeastern Syria, many of the four million refugees sheltered in, who most of them Syrians, may decide to head to Europe to avoid being forcibly pushed back into their unstable homeland.

Data show that the so-called eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey to Greece has once again become the main channel for asylum-seekers reaching Europe.

Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus delivered a joint statement at the meeting calling attention to the eastern Mediterranean route.

"Imagine if you’re a Syrian refugee in Turkey. There is a risk that you can be transported one day… into northeast Syria. That’s a factor that could generate a wave towards Europe,” Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn said.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director said on Wednesday that Turkish forces, together with the rebel group Free Syrian Army, will cross the Syrian border “shortly” following the withdrawal of the United States troops from Syria.

Turkey has set plans to resettle 2 million of the Syrian refugees on its territory in a 35-km deep corridor inside Syria along the 480-km border.

Turkey has long complained about EU inadequate funding support for the country in keeping a lid on migration to Europe. Turkey now hosts around 3.5 million Syrian refugees.

Reports said that the two tranches of euro 3 billion from EU assistance to help Turkey coping with the refugees from Syria are almost spent.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)