Relati­ons betwee­n Turkey and the West deteri­orated in the past yearISTANBUL: A substantial portion of the funds promised by the European Union (EU) to help Syrian refugees in Turkey is still not being used actively to meet their needs, Turkey’s EU Ministry said on Saturday. Of the 6 billion euros ($7.20 billion) agreed upon in two deals in 2015 and 2016, only 1.78 billion euros has been transferred to Turkish ministries and international organisations responsible for implementing the projects, the ministry said in a statement. Yet that did not equate to the funds being actively used to meet the needs of Syrian refugees, the ministry said. “Unfortunately, the spending mechanism of the EU funds are not working fast,” it said. In return for funds for Syrian refugees, visa-free travel and revitalised EU accession efforts, Turkey agreed to cooperate in stopping migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece and take back those who do not qualify for asylum.

Source: The Express Tribune December 30, 2017 10:07 UTC