Readmission agreement singed in Izmir

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu met in Izmir on Tuesday as part of the latest High-Level Cooperation Council between the two sides.

The two leaders signed six agreements including a bilateral deal for the migrants who are not eligible for international protection to be readmitted to Turkey after crossing into Greece.

The deal in Izmir came in the wake of a Turkish proposal in Brussels to accept the return of all migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean to reach Greece in return for EU countries resettling asylum seekers directly from Turkey. Tsipras said that he found the proposal “interesting.” EU leaders are due to meet with the Turkish premier again next week to finalize the plan.

“The aim here is to discourage irregular migration and… to recognize those Syrians in our camps who the EU will accept – though we will not force anyone to go against their will – on legal routes,” Davutoglu said.