Migrant deal with Turkey working well, says EU official

VIENNA: An EU deal with Turkey to stem the westward flow of migrants is working well, and day-to-day bilateral ties are better than rhetoric might suggest, the bloc’s top official for relations with neighbouring states said.

Austrian Johannes Hahn made the comments to ORF radio yesterday, days after Germany raised the possibility of suspending European Union aid payments promised to Turkey under the migrant deal.

In exchange for 3 billion euros in financial aid and a promise to ease visa restrictions for Turks, Ankara has sharply cut numbers of migrants crossing into Europe via its territory from conflict zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

“I have no concerns of any kind regarding the upkeep of the refugee agreement. It works,” Hahn said. He and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini are due to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik later in the day.

“One must say in many areas daily cooperation works better than the rhetoric and some of Turkey’s actions might make one assume.”

The migrant deal has been especially welcomed by Germany, the preferred destination for the migrants, but relations between Berlin and Ankara have hit a low over a range of issues, and each has accused the other of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in recent days.