Thousands flee to Turkey, a problem for Erdogan

AGI – Turkey has stopped several hundred Afghans fleeing the encroachment of the Taliban, who left a burning country with the dream of reaching Europe. More than 200 Afghans were intercepted in one operation Coastguard, while they were on a makeshift boat inAegean.

Another 219 Afghans (in addition to 22 other migrants) were arrested on various inflatables in the province. CanakkaleIn the northern Aegean Sea. Two alleged smugglers were arrested in the operation, and the fishermen were accused of having demanded $5,000 from each to make the crossing.

About a thousand have been stopped in IstanbulWhile many are trying to cross Turkey’s eastern border or are waiting desperately to get a visa, requests are increasing at the Western Chancellery in Kabul every day.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under pressure from the opposition and public opinion: the hashtag “We don’t want refugees anymore” has been a hit on social media. Turkey has in fact become the country in the world with the largest number of refugees, 4 million They are Syrians and Afghans already making up the second largest group, over 200,000 before these days. According to estimates by NGOs, 300,000 have fled their homes since the Taliban regained control of rural areas, while about 7 million Afghans live in Pakistan and Iran, two countries that do not accept other refugees.

Turkey is the gateway to Europe for Afghans fleeing through Iran, trekking through the mountains, on the border with the provinces of Van and Igdir. According to Van province, 27,000 migrants have been arrested for illegally crossing the border with Iran since January, 1,500 last week.

Turkey signed an agreement with the European Union in 2016 to block migration flows and manage Syrians inside the country for $6 billion, but the problem is now recurring with Afghans.

Ankara is building a wall of about 300 kilometers on the border with Iran to prevent new influxes, while at the same time it has responded harshly to Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz, who has described Turkey as a “more favorable place for immigrants than Germany or Austria”. The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded, “Turkey will not be a refugee camp in Europe.”