US denies deal with Turkey on Afghan refugees

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

The US Embassy in Turkey has denied the claims that Washington and Ankara have made an agreement on Afghan refugees.

"The US Embassy wishes to state that allegations regarding an 'agreement' or 'deal' between President Biden and President Erdoğan regarding Afghan refugees or migrants are completely without foundation," it said on Twitter.

For more than a month now, Turkey has been facing a new migration flow from Afghanistan as the Taliban takes over the country.

Statements from both sides led to claims that there might be an agreement for Turkey to host people fleeing the Taliban.

The US Department of State on August 2 suggested Turkey as a possible application spot for Afghans who worked for the US government and their families.

The U.S. Embassy wishes to state that allegations regarding an "agreement" or "deal" between President Biden and President Erdoğan regarding Afghan refugees or migrants are completely without foundation.

— U.S. Embassy Turkey (@USEmbassyTurkey) August 18, 2021

After Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized this statement and said Ankara was not consulted about the issue, Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price admitted that their statement was poorly worded.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on August 6 stated that Turkey will continue to accept refugees "as we managed the financing of it well," apparently referring to the existing EU-Turkey deal on Syrian refugees.

According to the deal that has been in place for five years, Turkey keeps Syrian refugees from heading to European countries in exchange for financial support. Some European countries have stated that this agreement should be expanded to include Afghan refugees as well.

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Opposition parties have accused Erdoğan of accepting more refugees in an effort to mend relations with US President Joe Biden.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as well as other senior opposition poilticians, have questioned why refugees have been coming to Turkey rather than Afghanistan's neighbors and most of them are young men. 

Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees and more than 100,000 Afghan refugees according to the UNHCR.

Kabul airport

Turkey is also willing to run and protect the Kabul airport following the withdrawal of the US-led troops and has been in talks with Washington about the plan.

However, the Taliban's rapid takeover of Kabul put this plan in limbo. Some international media outlets, citing officials from Turkey, reported that the plan was terminated.

It is too early to say that as new circumstances have emerged, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

"We are working together with the US and other countries regarding evacuations from the airport," he told daily Hürriyet today. "Our priority is to evacuate our citizens who want to return."

The decision regarding Turkey's troops in the country will be made later, he said.

The minister also defended the goverment's decision to maintain contact with the Taliban, saying that all major powers have been talking to the group.

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(AS/VK)