EU has not kept promises in refugee crisis, says Turkish ex-minister

EU promises of funds and free movement for Turkish nationals in exchange for help dealing with waves of refugees - many of them Syrian - have not been kept, according to a former Turkish foreign minister.

“We have about three million Syrians in our country and we spend about 8 to 10 billion dollars. We were promised to get some (funds) from the European Union but the promise has not fully been met yet,” Hikmet Cetin, who was Turkey’s foreign minister from 1991 to 1994, told CGTN’s World Insight.

The EU and Turkey reached an agreement in March last year to stem the illegal flow of people across the Aegean Sea, and improve conditions for millions of refugees sheltered in Turkey.

Brussels and Ankara struck an agreement “that Turkey will stop refugees passing to Europe and Europe promised the free movement of people... but that didn’t happen," Cetin criticized. "They’re postponing, they're delaying all the time."

According to the UN refugee agency about 5.5 million people have left Syria since the conflict began in 2011.

A migrant carries his baby as they come ashore along with other refugees and migrants arriving on the Greek Island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.

For Cetin, the international community mishandled the situation at the beginning of the conflict.

"I think that was a misassessment from the international community and Turkey as well, saying that (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad must go and then trying to find a military solution. I don't believe in a military solution."

"That mistake is a big mistake, because at the beginning, they could sit with Assad and try to find a peaceful solution...

the people of Assad should be in that unity government and have a new Constitution and then Assad could run for election,” Cetin suggested.

The international system has collapsed and a new world order is now urgently needed, he went on, citing China's biggest trade initiative.

“I think the Belt and Road Initiative is one of the global peace projects," he said, citing China's massive trade and infrastructure project. "This is not an initiative of China and Turkey but I think many countries in the world should join that idea. That will help peace and security in many parts of the world in the future,” said Cetin.

(CGTN)