London Abandons Agreement with Ankara

The British authorities have abandoned the idea of signing an agreement with Turkey regarding the deportation of illegal immigrants due to the situation surrounding human rights in the country. This was reported by The Times, citing documents from the UK Home Office. The information was provided by TASS.

According to the agency, Turkey "does not meet the criteria to be called a safe third country." It is noted that the majority of asylum seekers in the UK are political opponents of the current regime in the republic, including supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and the Gülen movement.

The Home Office has stated that Turkey applies anti-terrorism legislation too broadly and has raised concerns about the independence of the country's judicial system. At the same time, according to The Times, the British government may revisit the agreement with Turkey if the parties manage to sign a separate deal that would make it impossible to prosecute Turkish refugees deported from the UK in their homeland.

The need for a signing agreement arose against the backdrop of an increase in the number of illegal immigrants from Turkey attempting to enter the UK via inflatable boats across the English Channel. In 2023, this number has increased by 162% compared to 2022.

It was emphasized that London hoped to sign an agreement similar to the British deal with Albania. Thanks to the agreements between London and Tirana, the number of illegal Albanian immigrants has decreased by 90% over the past year.

The number of illegal migrants arriving in England by boats across the Channel has steadily increased in recent years. Overall, since 2018, more than 110,000 illegal immigrants have crossed to the UK via this route, despite the ruling Conservative Party's promises to combat illegal immigration.