Migration Delegation Visit 2021 - Foundation Office Turkey
Expert talk
Details
Highlights of the program were the high-level expert conference, a high-level discussion event, and excursions to Hatay and Gaziantep. The program focused intensively on the situation of refugees in Turkey and European-Turkish cooperation. The exchange of information and mutual understanding between German, Turkish and European officials and institutions was strengthened in this way.
The delegation from Germany and Austria was composed of migration experts from the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Mayor of the City of Essen, and key think tanks and academics. This program provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives with international and Turkish counterparts on the migration challenge, which is of continuing geopolitical and humanitarian importance for Germany, Turkey, and the entire European and Middle East region.
On Monday, September 13, before the official delegation program began, Ankara's Lord Mayor Mansur Yavaş, received the Lord Mayor of the City of Essen, Thomas Kufen, together with the Chief Administrative Office of Essen, Christian Kromberg, the Director of KAS Turkey, Walter Glos and the Project Coordinator Anastasia Pazer-Ilgaz. Furthermore, the AK Party deputy M. Fatih Toprak gave the first overview of the current political issues in Turkey. In the evening, all delegation participants met for a welcome dinner.
Tuesday morning started with a wide-ranging and informative breakfast briefing with the German Ambassador, Jürgen Schulz. The topics discussed included Turkey-Germany relations, the refugee crisis, and the refugee agreement, EU-Turkey cooperation, Turkey's economic situation, and upcoming challenges that may result from current events in Afghanistan.
Afterward, the delegation visited Türk Kızılay, the Turkish Red Crescent, for a briefing with the Vice Chairman of the Board Alper Küçük. The delegation learned about the activities of the Turkish Red Crescent, as the largest aid organization in Turkey, and about the ESSN program for refugees, the "Kızılay Card", which is the largest single humanitarian project in the history of the EU. Kızılay assists authorities in meeting the shelter, food, health, education, and other needs of refugees seeking protection in Turkey. Türk Kızılay cooperates with the German Red Cross and UN institutions, among others, especially on integration programs to help refugees find work, education, and a future in the country.
In the afternoon conference, migration experts from Germany, Europe, and Turkey met to discuss EU-Turkey cooperation in the field of migration. After the opening speech by the Director of KAS Turkey, Walter Glos, Prof. Dr. M. Murat Erdoğan (TAU University) described the situation of refugees in Turkey and social cohesion. On the 1st topic "EU-Turkey Refugee Agreement 2.0: Sustainable Cooperation and Challenges", Gerald Knaus, Chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), and Ambassador Başak Türkoğlu, Director General for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided their inputs. Andrea Schumacher, Vice President of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), and Dr. Gökçe Ok, Vice President of the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM), debated the 2nd topic "Multi-level governance in Turkey on migration: achieving a more sustainable and efficient implementation of international aid measures". A contribution to the 3rd topic "Social Cohesion and Labor Market Integration of Refugees in Turkey and Germany" was made by Thomas Kufen, Lord Mayor of the City of Essen, and Dr. Cemal Baş, Head of the Project and Financing Department of the Association of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB). Each input had stimulated discussion, in which the most diverse conference subjects, under the Chatham House rules, could report on their perspectives, experiences, and challenges.
On the same evening, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Turkey hosted a discussion dinner entitled "The Challenges of Migration for Turkey and the European Union". More than 150 distinguished guests were present, including 23 ambassadors, diplomats from 35 embassies, representatives of the Presidential Office, members of the Turkish Parliament, politicians, academics, as well as key representatives of various Turkish, German, and international institutions and organizations.
KAS Director Walter Glos welcomed the guests of the discussion evening and thanked the two keynote speakers, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, and the Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Mr. Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut.
Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut pointed out that Turkey and the European Union have been partners in the field of migration and border management for many years and that this issue has gained importance during this period, especially on the eastern border. He pointed out that factors such as global warming and climate change may increase migration mobility and that in this context migrant and refugee problems should be managed through cooperation in an international context. Meyer-Landrut argued that good living conditions are important in the context of the migration phenomenon and that education is a key factor.
Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı highlighted in particular the March 18 agreement. Kaymakcı recalled the four promises made by the EU. At this point, Kaymakcı states that the March 18 Agreement was frozen in many ways and stressed that it should be revived.
Both speakers answered numerous interesting but challenging questions from the high-level audience. At the roundtables, very engaged discussions continued until the late hour.
Wednesday morning started with a visit to the EU delegation. In the face-to-face meeting with EU Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, the discussion event of the previous day was reflected upon and the Ambassador described his view of the current economic and political situation in Turkey, especially in the context of refugees in the country.
After a visit to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the delegation met with Akif Çağatay Kılıç, AK Party Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, over lunch to discuss issues of German-Turkish EU relations in addition to migration policy.
The mission continued to the southeast of Turkey, near the Syrian border, to Hatay, starting with a meeting with the Mayor of Hatay, Mr. Lütfü Savaş, from the CHP, the main opposition party in Turkey. He reported on the challenges and problems resulting from hosting a very large number of refugees (about 440,000, 26.3% of the population) in the province of Hatay. His outlook for the future is bleak. As a solution to better control the future situation in Hatay, the mayor proposes to establish detention centers at the borders in order to relieve the cities and to provide direct EU aid directly to the municipalities.
Next, the delegation gained insight into the work of the EU-funded rehabilitation center of MSYD-ASRA, which offers refugees physiological as well as psychological support.
On the way to Gaziantep, the group stops at the Syrian border and continues to an agricultural project of Türk Kızılay. Currently, there are around 1,000 people in training of Agricultural knowledge, 90% of whom are refugees. There are greenhouses on the farm where bananas and strawberries are planted, also cows and chickens. The participants can realize a future in agriculture afterward.
Arrived in Gaziantep, the delegation meets key local and international NGO representatives at a reception. There is much discussion about the current situation in Syria and possible solutions. At the end of the evening, everyone agrees that the root causes of migration need to be addressed in order to improve the refugee situation, prevent further waves of refugees and return refugees to their country.
On the last day of the program, an educational institution for refugees in Gaziantep, financed by EU funds and the Turkish Ministry of Education, was visited. Courses in music, handicrafts, and general education can be taken there. In addition, integration courses or language courses are offered, since many migrants can hardly read and write when they register. Close cooperation with the employment office gives graduates a better chance of finding a job.
Afterward, the deputy mayor of Gaziantep, Latif Karadağ, from the AK Party, received the group. Gaziantep has the second-highest percentage of refugees (about 460,000, 21.9% of the population) in Turkey. Many of the migrants have been residents for over 10 years, speak fluent Turkish, and are integrated into the labor market or have their own small businesses. In contrast to Hatay, the city is aware that a return is not possible so quickly, so it invests in the education and labor market integration of young refugees. Nevertheless, he also explains that Turkey, in consideration of the increasing flow of refugees from Afghanistan, has only limited possibilities to take in further refugees. One solution, according to Mr. Karadağ, which also meets with the approval of the majority of the population, would be the establishment of a "safe zone" in Syria, which would enable the voluntary return of the refugees. Mr. Karadağ promised that the city would remain welcoming and hospitable.
The evaluation of the program has shown that this program makes a very important contribution to the task of the KAS to address central issues of the present and future in a networked, integrative as well as national, European and international way. The exchange of experts from Germany and Austria with Turkish and EU agencies as well as among each other was very fruitful for all sides. Approaches to solutions and new ideas can only emerge in such an atmosphere. Thus, the program is an essential component for KAS to deal with the challenge of displacement and migration.
The political discussions and, above all, the field visits impressively illustrated the enormous achievements of Turkey as a state and society in receiving, caring for, and, increasingly, integrating Syrian refugees. This includes providing people with vital services, their education and training, and language support. The successful combination of macro (political discourse in Ankara) and micro (local political discourse and practical aid projects) highlighted the different perspectives (optimism in Gaziantep, pessimism in Hatay). The ambivalence of many aspects represented a key added value for the delegation participants. The perception of third countries also differs significantly from the German and European perceptions.
The delegation agreed that further discussions are needed and that relations and cooperation between Germany and Turkey must be intensified. The transfer and exchange of knowledge as a result of the intensive and sustained discussions will help to jointly develop political solutions in the future. In addition, the opportunity arose to create new networks and strengthen the political, scientific, and social ties between Turkey and Germany and between Turkey and Europe. The participants of this program expressed their great satisfaction with the program organization and contents, the excursions, and the exchange with the proven experts and high-ranking interlocutors. The participants of the delegation expressed their sincere gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this mission and would like to participate in the next year again.