Turkish authorities expect that the European Union will provide Ankara with an additional 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) under their joint migration deal before the end of 2018 in order to continue tackling the refugee crisis, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Thursday.
On Wednesday, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said that Brussels could contract the 3 billion euros under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey program by the end of 2017.
"Three more billion euros within the framework of the reached migration accords with the European Union, as we expect, should be delivered before the end of 2018," Çavuşoğlu said at a session of the budget committee of the country's parliament.
In March 2016, the European Union and Ankara agreed on a deal, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis.
In return, Brussels pledged to provide a total of 3 billion euros to Ankara for refugee accommodation in 2016-2017, with a further 3 billion-euro provision likely in 2018. The bloc additionally promised to accelerate Ankara's EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and Europe.
