Çavuşoğlu: ‘It is Our Right to Reconsider Refugee Deals’

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said "Visa waiver, European Union (EU)-Turkey refugee deal and the readmission agreement are all agreements connected to one another and must be applied all together".

"If we get negative responses from the EU, then it is our most natural right to reconsider or suspend all these agreements".

Talking to the A Haber, Çavuşoğlu noted that they had not reached an agreement in fulfilling the conditions regarding the visa waiver for the EU countries yet and added that they would submit to the EU what they would or would not do with regards to the five unmet criteria for the visa waiver.

Operation Rakka

Upon being asked about Turkey's reaction if the US would insist on an operation in cooperation with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) / Peoples' Proteciton Units (YPG), without Turkey's participation, Çavuşoğlu said:

"For the future of Syria, such cooperations are highly dangerous and risky. And they cannot ensure Syria's unity and integrity.
"The US should know that they are not only obliged to purge Raqqa but also plan the future of Syria. [...] And we should do that all together, not in cooperation with the terrorist organizations". (YY/DG)