The Hungarian foreign minister called on the European Union to provide support to Turkey regarding the fight against irregular migration.
"The EU must aid Turkey to help as many Syrian migrants as possible return to their homeland. If Turkey is hit by further migrant waves, it will be harder to maintain the 2016 agreement," Peter Szijjarto told a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, referring to a March 2016 migrant deal between Turkey and the EU.
Szijjarto warned that the EU would lose all weight in the region unless the bloc radically changes its "failed" policy in Africa and the Middle East.
The EU must also strive to allow the return of Syrian and Libyan migrants to their homelands, stop migration from those countries and stem migrants' transit through them, he said.
Brussels should also launch security, economic, and healthcare development projects in the Middle East and Africa rather than "inspiring further waves of migration," Szijjarto added.
Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution such as the Syrian civil war. Through its March 2016 agreement with the EU, Turkey was key in bringing down migrant numbers and alleviating the crisis.
Concerns have risen over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan, due to the United States' pullout from the country and the following surge of Taliban attacks. Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.
Turkey is continuing efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new migrant wave in the face of the recent developments in Afghanistan. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul.
