In an interview to Mehr News International Service, Andreeva Mina Alexandrova told Abdolhamid Bayati of the Service that EU and Turkey had been cooperating about migrant/refugee crisis and that Turkey-Russia tension triggered by downing of a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 by Turkish fighters earlier this month had been addressed seriously by the EU which had not downplayed the importance of diplomatic efforts:
As you know, so far, Europe has been facing a huge number of migrant/refugees who come from Turkey for the most part; accordingly, some experts believe that Turkey have not had enough priority on migrant crisis because this country sought compensation from Europe. To what extent this analysis holds true?
Turkey and the European Union are strategic partners in addressing the refugee challenge. At the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November, the EU and Turkey reached an agreement on how to move forward speedily in all key areas of our cooperation. Both sides agreed to activate the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan which addresses the current crisis situation in three ways: (a) by addressing the root causes leading to the massive influx of Syrians, (b) by supporting Syrians under temporary protection and their host communities in Turkey and (c) by strengthening cooperation to prevent irregular migration flows to the EU. Turkey has committed to implementing immediately the elements agreed on in the Action Plan, notably immediate action to stem the flow of irregular migrants to the EU; and to improve the socio-economic situation of Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey. The European Commission is now working to ensure implementation is carried out swiftly, effectively and immediately and will prepare a report on the State of Play for the 15 December for the European Council.
During Turkish parliamentary elections, EU delayed publishing of Turkey’s human right report and some said that EU had made a deal with Turkey on migrants which is why Europe has turned a blind eyes at Turkey; how do you think of that?
The Commission always publishes the annual enlargement package in the autumn. This year it was published on 10 November, the date was chosen to ensure good visibility for these important documents. There are fair and objective reports on the progress achieved. If you read this year's report on Turkey, you will see that as usual we have been fair but also very firm and critical where appropriate, as regards the judiciary or media freedoms.
As you know, tensions has escalated between Turkey and Russia in recent days; what is EU’s position on this?
Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy /Vice-President of the Commission had a lot of contacts to help deescalate the situation. She spoke to Secretary General of NATO but also to the Turkish Minister and Russian ministers for scaling down the risks of escalation and calming and trying to calm down the situation. She also stressed the need to preserve the process started in Vienna and to deliver concrete results soon.
"It would be a terrible mistake if, out of tensions on the ground that can be very high and very difficult to manage, we cancel or we downgrade the level of diplomatic and political engagement. The real way of defeating ISIL in the long run is guaranteeing a political transition in Damascus, a ceasefire in Syria and unity of forces inside and outside Syria to fight against ISIL and Al-Nusra. I believe we have to protect this political space we have finally created,” Mogherini had said.
Last month, we saw Paris terrorist attacks; why western countries face these kinds of threats?
EU member states face an increasing number of EU nationals who travel abroad for the purposes of terrorism. While the phenomenon of so-called "foreign terrorist fighters" is not new, the scale of people travelling to conflict zones, in particular to Syria and Iraq, to fight or train with terrorist groups is unprecedented. The threat posed, both within the region and upon their return, by the approximately 5,000 EU residents who have travelled to join terrorist groups such as ISIL is of course of an increased concern. The Commission adopted a European Agenda on Security in April 2015, setting out the main actions envisaged by the Commission to ensure an effective EU response to security threats over the period 2015-2020. Progress has been made on several points since then. The Commission, together with member states, the European External Action Service, Europol and Frontex finalized in June 2015 a set of common risk indicators for foreign terrorist fighters, to be used by border guards to help them when conducting checks.
The Commission is currently working on the European Border and Coast Guard package, planned for December 2015. In the context of this package the Commission is preparing a targeted amendment of the Schengen Borders Code to allow for systematic checks against relevant databases at external borders of all travelers, including those who benefit from the right of free movement under Union law. In the light of the recent tragic attacks in Paris on 13 November, work has been significantly accelerated on a number of proposals to address terrorism, that make it more difficult to acquire firearms and to address illegal trafficking of firearms and explosives.
Andreeva Mina Alexandrova is the European Commission Chief Spokesperson.
Interview by: Abdolhamid Bayati