Germany says it has begun deporting more rejected asylum seekers to Turkey under a new deal between the two governments. The German interior minister said it was a 'major step forward' in limiting irregular migration.
The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Friday (September 27) that the first deportation flights to Turkey under a new deal with the German government have already begun. Under the agreement, 200 people have been returned, with Ankara proposing taking back up to 500 per week, the paper said.
Turkey ranks third on the list of the main countries of origin for asylum seekers in Germany, after Syria and Afghanistan. However, the proportion of Turkish asylum seekers granted protection is under 10 percent. According to the migrant rights group Pro Asyl, most Turkish asylum seekers in Germany are Kurds.
The agreement follows several months of negotiations between the German and Turkish governments, FAZ reported.
"We have now achieved our goal that returns to Turkey can be carried out more quickly and effectively and that Turkish citizens who are not allowed to remain in Germany can be sent back more quickly," said Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser.
"This is a major step forward in limiting irregular migration," she added in an interview with the Funke Media group.
Turkish government denies reports
The reports of a deal on deportations were immediately denied by Turkey, which also said there was no truth to claims that a deal had been discussed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year.
"The claim in the German press (…) is not true. …No action has been taken to deport our citizens en masse. Do not believe unfounded allegations," warned the government’s office for countering disinformation at the weekend.
"(Such) an agreement (…) is absolutely out of the question," the office said in a separate post.
According to the German press agency dpa, Faeser said in response to Turkey’s denial that her government was "talking intensively with countries of origin about improving cooperation on returns." Turkey is a very important partner in this regard, she said but added that "details of the discussions are confidential."
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Small proportion of Turkish citizens deported
The deportations are said to be happening gradually and through a decentralized process, according to dpa.
Diplomatic sources in Germany reportedly told the news agency that Turkey has been blocking the return of Turkish citizens. As a result, only around 1,300 Turkish citizens were deported from Germany in 2023 and just 441 in the first half of 2024 – a handful compared with the estimated 15,500 currently required to leave the country.
The Turkish government has long been pushing for Germany to ease visa restrictions for its citizens traveling to countries in the Schengen Zone. Dpa was unable to confirm whether the agreement on returns included concessions to Turkey.
The returns to Turkey come as the social democrat-led government in Germany is coming under growing pressure to deport foreign nationals who do not have a right of residency. Chancellor Scholz said last October that it was finally time for deportation "on a large scale."
But deportations of Turkish nationals have been criticized by rights groups such as Pro Asyl as "irresponsible," because of Turkey’s harsh treatment of political opponents and the human rights situation in the country.
With dpa, AFP
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