Erdogan, Merkel, Macron, Johnson Address Situation of Syria

The conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis was addressed through a video conference on Tuesday among Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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These four politicians spoke of ways to resolve the crisis in Syria, methods to deliver humanitarian aid to Idlib, the refugee problem, and the situation in Libya.

They also discussed "the possibilities of acting together in the fight against the Covid-19, the situation in the European Union (EU), and Turkey's relations with the EU," as reported by EFE.

Their meeting was initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul; however, due to the Covid-19 spread, Turkey announced that the event would be held via teleconference.

Since the end of February, when Turkey lost 34 soldiers in the Idlib region, the Erdogan administration has complained about the EU's lack of support for its policy in Syria.

To press for this aid to become effective, Turkey announced that it would allow the departure of Syrian refugees from its territory, which caused a wave of thousands of migrants who remain crowded in Edirne, near the Greek border.​​​​​​​

Over the last month, at least 10,000 refugees, mostly from Syria, have reached the borders with Greece and Bulgaria with the intention of entering the European Union.

Since the Greek border authorities have prevented the arrival of new migrants, many Syrian refugees are returning to Turkey where the majority had resided for years.

However, Ankara has not changed its stance​​​​​​ and insists that the European Union should open its doors to Syrian refugees.