Erdogan Asked NATO and EU for More Support in Syria

The Turkish president at meetings in Brussels asked for military support for the Turkish operation in northern Syria and assistance in solving the refugee problem. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, March 9, at a meeting in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said he was waiting for "concrete support" from the allies of the Turkish military operation in Syria and the solution of the refugee problem. According to Erdogan, support should be immediate and without any additional conditions. Stoltenberg said that "no other ally has suffered more from the chaos in Syria, and no other ally has more refugees." According to him, NATO is already supporting Turkey with air defense systems on the border with Syria and a military presence in the air and sea space of the region. NATO Secretary General also expressed concern about the events on the Turkish-Greek border: "The issue of migration and refugee flows is a common problem that requires common solutions." In Syria, the military conflict in Idlib province has intensified in recent months. Turkey, supporting the rebels, launched a military attack on Syrian government troops, which, in turn, are supported by the Russian air forces. Several dozen Turkish soldiers have been killed in action in recent weeks. Since Friday, March 6, in the region functions the truce Erdogan agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. EU wants to discuss new agreement with Turkey on refugees After his visit to NATO, Erdogan met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The main topic was the situation of refugees on the Greek-Turkish border. Turkey, President Erdogan recalled, received 3.6 million refugees from Syria. He denied allegations of Ankara’s involvement in the emergence of a new wave of illegal migration on the border of the European Union. Erdogan said at the end of February that he was opening the border with the EU, which caused a strong influx of migrants on the Turkish-Greek border. In response, the Greek authorities closed the border and use force, including tear gas, to prevent refugees from illegally entering the country. The Greek government, with the support of Brussels, accused Ankara of using the refugee theme as a leverage over the EU and NATO. Before the meeting, Charles Michel called on Turkey to respect the agreement with the EU, which obliges the country to stop the flow of refugees to Europe in exchange for six billion euros of financial support. And Ursula von der Leyen proposed to discuss a new agreement with Turkey on refugees. In her opinion, in order to remove Ankara’s concern, it is necessary to increase funding.