Turkey wary over EU�s migrant plan offer

AFP, ANKARA: Turkey is giving a European Union plan to assist the country in hosting over two million Syrian refugees only a lukewarm reception, indicating funding needs to be drastically increased and lamenting shortfalls in help over previous years.
The EU hopes that helping refugees inside Turkey will discourage Syrians from taking perilous sea and land routes to seek new lives within the bloc after an unprecedented influx in the last month.
But the European Union is also proposing to formally resettle more refugees on EU territory, if Ankara establishes new camps and boosts its coastguard to slow the flow of people to Europe.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker presented the “draft action plan” to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during talks on Monday.
Brussels has also renewed promises to mobilise up to one billion euros ($1.1 billion) to help Turkey cope with its refugees.
But Turkish officials, so far, are not rushing to embrace the plan.

Turkey wary over EU�s migrant plan offer

AFP, ANKARA: Turkey is giving a European Union plan to assist the country in hosting over two million Syrian refugees only a lukewarm reception, indicating funding needs to be drastically increased and lamenting shortfalls in help over previous years. The EU hopes that helping refugees inside Turkey will discourage Syrians from taking perilous sea and land routes to seek new lives within the bloc after an unprecedented influx in the last month. But the European Union is also proposing to formally resettle more refugees on EU territory, if Ankara establishes new camps and boosts its coastguard to slow the flow of people to Europe. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker presented the draft action plan to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during talks on Monday. Brussels has also renewed promises to mobilise up to one billion euros ($1.1 billion) to help Turkey cope with its refugees. But Turkish officials, so far, are not rushing to embrace the plan.