Turkey will not repatriate third country nationals from UK, say sources

Turkey will not accept irregular immigrants from third countries to Turkish territories under a new deal with the UK, Turkish sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye.

The UK announced earlier this week that British and Turkish police would step up joint operations to tackle organised illegal immigration and disrupt the supply chain of parts and other materials of boats used for migration journeys.

In an official statement, the UK Home Office said it would help the Turkish police to set up a Centre of Excellence to tackle “organised immigration crime”, in a bid to slow the movement of people passing through Turkey on their way to Europe.

“The new memorandum of understanding will also cover the increase and quicker exchange of customs data, information and intelligence feeds between the UK and Turkish authorities, to further support our joint efforts to disrupt the small boats supply chain,” the statement said.

Some reports in the British media that implied that Ankara would take back third country nationals who had reached the UK have angered many Turkish Twitter users.

Migration is an increasingly sensitive topic in Turkey, which hosts nearly five million refugees – mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, among other countries.

Since last month, the Turkish government has launched a widespread deportation campaign that largely targets undocumented Syrians and Afghans.

On Thursday, Turkish opposition chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu accused the government of allowing foreign interference in Turkish domestic issues.

“It is extremely serious and problematic that both the agreement and the Centre of Excellence that will be established in [Turkey] are announced by the UK, not the Republic of Turkey,” he said. “It is also written in the British press that a similar readmission agreement with the EU will be made between Turkey and the UK after this.”

The sources told MEE that “it is absolutely out of the question” that Turkey would accept third country nationals from Britain, citing past statements in recent years. 

The UK’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that the deal also covers the repatriation of Turkish citizens who have been crossing the English Channel in small boats. Home Office figures show that Turks have this year become the most common nationality to cross to the UK by small boats, behind Afghans. 

Between April and July this year, 1,359 Turkish citizens crossed the English Channel, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey in February, compared with 1,076 last year, according to UK government statistics. 

However, the Turkish sources said the asylum seekers who had created a new route through Turkey, Serbia, France, and to the UK as a final destination, are alleged criminals.

“Those who leave are those who slander Turkey and seek asylum,” one source said. “Most of them are individuals affiliated with terrorist organisations.”

The source said the individuals were largely affiliated with Pennsylvania-based Fethullah Gulen and his followers, who are accused of carrying out a military coup in Turkey in 2016.

The sources added that the UK, under the new deal, would support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal to conduct a study on migration and displaced persons within the G-20.

The UK government would also raise the issue via the agenda on the G7 platform.