19 Dec 2020; MEMO: The EU allocates more than $7 billion to Turkey in exchange for receiving refugees.
The European Union (EU) on Thursday disbursed financial aid directed to Turkey amounting to more than $7 billion, in exchange for receiving refugees, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The aid will finance hosting and supporting the refugees, in compliance with the treaty regarding migrants signed between Ankara and Brussels in 2016.
According to the agreement, Turkey has agreed to host new migrants arriving on the Greek islands, including asylum seekers, such as Syrians who fled the war in their country.
Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the EU delegation in Turkey, announced: "Today the European Union disbursed the entire amount allocated to Turkey worth €6 billion, with the aim of supporting and receiving the refugees."
He pointed out that Ankara and Brussels had completed the "main stage" and still had to verify that "the refugees benefit from the projects."
