The number of migrants traveling through Turkey in hopes of reaching the European Union between January and mid-December has increased by 46 percent when compared to the same period of last year, the German Welt newspaper said on Tuesday, citing a new EU report
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2019) The number of migrants traveling through Turkey in hopes of reaching the European Union between January and mid-December has increased by 46 percent when compared to the same period of last year, the German Welt newspaper said on Tuesday, citing a new EU report.
According to the European Union's most recent internal report on the refugee situation, which was obtained by the media outlet, about 70,000 migrants arrived in the EU through Turkey since the beginning of the year, while the number of such arrivals for January to mid-December of 2018 stood at about 47,800 people.
Most of the arrivals from Turkey in 2019 were registered in Greece with 68,000 people, followed by Italy with 1,803, Cyprus with 261 and Bulgaria with 197. In Greece, most asylum seekers come from Afghanistan � about 30 percent � rather than from Syria. Syrians account for 14 percent, followed by Pakistanis at 9.5 percent, Iraqis at 8 percent, and Turks at 5 percent.
The report added, as cited by the newspaper, that the migrant camps on the Greek islands with a capacity of approximately 8,500 places were hosting over 40,000 people. About 5,200 of them are unaccompanied children, with the majority living in deplorable conditions.
According to the newspaper, it is unclear to what extent Ankara, if at all, complies with the EU agreement on migrants. The Greek coast guard recently reported to Brussels that Turkey had been refusing to cooperate on numerous occasions for several weeks. The report said that, in certain cases, Turkish patrol vessels ignored the Greek coast guard and let the ships with migrants cross the Greek border.
Turkey is one of the main transit points for migrants and refugees seeking a way into Europe after fleeing war and persecution. The country itself hosts up to 3.6 million Syrian refugees.
Under a 2016 migration deal, Ankara is obliged to help the EU stem the migration flow from the south. In particular, it committed itself to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in Greece through its territory in exchange for the accommodation of Syrian refugees in Europe on a one-for-one basis and financial aid from Brussels.
