Six years after the EU-Turkey Joint Statement, domestic changes in Turkey and international developments such as the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan ensure the Greece and Turkey border is still a hotspot for migration. Turkey is one of the world’s biggest refugee-receiving countries, hosting four million refugees.
Ayşen Üstübici speaks to Mariana about EU-Turkey migration diplomacy and the Turkish role in international migration governance. Looking back, Ayşen outlines the implications of the 2016 statement and the evolving attitudes of Turkish cities towards migrants and asylum-seekers in the intervening years.
Stefanos Levidis explores the other side of the border with Danai, looking at the Greek case as the external border of the EU. Stefanos explains why the EU-Turkey border is particularly important and how the natural environment can be weaponized to enforce border controls.