Ondanks alle gebeurtenissen van de afgelopen zes maanden stuurt de EU volgende week gewoon een delegatie naar Turkije om te praten over visumvrij verkeer van Turken in en uit de EU.

In de Nederlandse pers zul je het niet lezen, maar de Turkse pers is er bijzonder mee ingenomen:

A delegation from the European Union will visit Turkey in mid-May to discuss a visa-free deal and the issue of refugees, EU sources told state-run Anadolu Agency on April 30.

A working plan for Turkish citizens to travel to Schengen countries visa-free, submitted by Turkey to Brussels in February, is currently being examined, said the source, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Het wordt ook nog eens een ‘technocratische delegatie’, want men heeft er al over overlegd:

On April 4, Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told lawmakers in parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that they had already discussed the proposal of visa-free travel with European Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

Je verwacht het niet.

Zowel de EU als Turkije maakt zich namelijk zorgen om de asielmigratiedeal. En wie ziet hoe Turkije daar naar kijkt beseft dat daarvoor alle reden is:

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal aiming to stem the irregular migration flow through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions for nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deal also allows for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets all 72 requirements set by the EU.

En hoe gaat het met die asielmigranten intussen? Nou, die geeft weinig reden tot feestvreugde:

Verstandige mensen hadden de grenzen al lang dicht gegooid, maar verstandige mensen worden bij de EU op zijn best verwezen naar de schoonmaakbaantjes. Op Lesbos loopt de situatie steeds verder uit de hand:

Mayor of Lesbos Spyros Galinos said police should have intervened sooner.
He said the island needed assistance in dealing with the growing number of migrants, with hundreds still arriving every day.
Fires were lit in Lesbos last night as migrants and protestors clashed.
He said: “Now there are about 10,000 people in Lesbos who filed a request for asylum, whereas there are 27,000 residents in the city. “Our island once again has become a hostage. “For the last three years, Lesbos has been experiencing an unprecedented situation. It’s carrying a huge burden.”
Regarding ultra-nationalist protestor, he said: “If persons of extreme ideological beliefs took part in this reaction, it was to be expected.”

Hoe kijkt Turkije hiernaar? Van tijd tot tijd gaat er een tipje van de sluier omhoog, als opnieuw een Turkse official zijn ongeduld nauwelijks bedwingen kan:

“The fortune and wealth of the world is moving from the West to the East. Europe is going through a time that is out of the ordinary. Its population is declining and aging. It has a very old population. So, people coming from outside get the jobs there. But Europe has this problem. All of the newcomers are Muslim. From Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Those who come from these places are Muslim. It is now at such a level that the most popular name in Brussels, Belgium is Mohammed. The second most popular name is Melih [Malih] and the third one is Ayşe [Aisha].”

According to Kavaklıoğlu, if this trend continues,

“the Muslim population will outnumber the Christian population in Europe. This… has increased the nationalistic, xenophobic and anti-Islam rhetoric there. Hence, marginal, small parties have started to get large numbers of votes… But there is no remedy for it. Europe will be Muslim. We will be effective there, Allah willing. I am sure of that.”

Niet dat onze regering of het rariteitenkabinet in Brussel dit weten wil. Die zien alleen wat ze geloven willen. En u wordt nog geacht hiermee blij te zijn ook.

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Meer over Turkije op Veren of Lood vindt u hier.