Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.10
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman opposes Turkey’s full membership in the European Union, Haber7 newspaper reported Dec.10.
Zeman is also against allocation of $3 billion to Ankara by the EU to upkeep Syrian refugees.
Turkey is able to help Syrian refugees by itself, according to the Czech president.
“Although Turkey is a NATO member, it behaves as the main ally of the IS terrorist group (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh),” the newspaper quoted Zeman as saying.
Currently, the Syrian refugee problem is one of the unresolved issues between the EU and Turkey.
At present, over 2 million Syrian refugees are in Turkey. The Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread throughout the provinces and cities of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria.
Ankara has so far spent $8 billion to upkeep the Syrian refugees.
Earlier, Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the visa-free regime with the EU for Turkish citizens will enter into force in October 2016.
“Full membership in the EU remains priority for Turkey,” he said.
Official talks on the country’s accession to the EU were resumed in 2005.
Edited by SI
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