With the ongoing refugee crisis that has affected Syria and Iraq's neighboring countries as well as Western countries, EU leaders agreed to a draft action plan that would increase cooperation between the EU and Turkey on support for refugees and migration management. In this regard, European Commission (EC) First Vice President Frans Timmermans visited Ankara on Wednesday and met with Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu as well as EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Beril Dedeoğlu to further discuss the details of the draft action plan. Timmermans also met with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu during his visit to Ankara. The EU joint refugee action plan was first proposed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Brussels on Oct 5.
Although a press conference was not held following Timmermans's meetings, it has been indicated the EU is trying to convince Ankara to agree to the plan in efforts to keep millions of refugees in the region. Junker said in a letter to Davutoğlu that during his visit to Antalya for the upcoming G20 summit he aims to discuss and finalize the decision on the plan.
