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The wall that Turkey has built on the Iranian border cannot solve the refugee crisis on its own, the spokesperson of Turkey's Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission said Thursday, calling on European countries to play a more active role in Afghanistan to resolve the international crisis and "act more conscientiously."

Speaking to the Deutsche Welle (DW) Turkish, Van lawmaker Osman Nuri Glaar from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) evaluated issues like the transition of Afghan refugees to Turkey, the latest situation in the region, the adaptation of Syrian refugees to Turkey, and Europe's expectations.

Stating that Turkey, which hosts millions of migrants, is not in a position to bear any more burden, Glaar said the number of Afghans arriving in the eastern border province of Van fell to 100 on some days but rose to 300 and 400 on others. "This migration has been an incredibly heavy burden. It is an intensity that can cause burden and tragedy, and it does not have a sustainable side."

Turkey was abandoned in its efforts to prevent irregular migration, President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said on Thursday. "Turkey has been left alone in its extraordinary struggle to prevent irregular migration originating from Syria," the president said in a video message sent to a symposium on the Aegean Sea and Turkish-Greek relations.

Saying that the 2015 refugee crisis when 1.3 million people traveled to Europe to request asylum could have been instrumental in strengthening cooperation between Turkey and Greece, Erdoan said Athens wasted this opportunity with its "uncompromising stance."

Foreign Minister Mevlt avuolu also recently highlighted the importance of taking joint action to deal with the migrant crisis, as he urged the European Union to properly implement the terms of the 2016 deal and undertake burden-sharing responsibilities.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution such as the Syrian civil war. Through its March 2016 agreement with the EU, Turkey was key in bringing down migrant numbers and alleviating the crisis.

Concerns have risen over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan, due to the United States' pullout from the country and the following surge of Taliban attacks. Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.

Turkey is continuing efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new migrant wave in the face of the recent developments in Afghanistan. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul last month.

Turkey is not the only country putting up barriers. Its neighbor Greece has just completed a 40-kilometer (25-mile) fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the EU.

Authorities say there are 182,000 registered Afghan migrants in Turkey and up to an estimated 120,000 unregistered ones. Erdoan urged European countries to take responsibility for any new influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming "Europe's migrant storage unit."

Turkey hosts nearly 4 million refugees more than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkey adopted an open-door policy for people fleeing the conflict, granting them temporary protection status. Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in Turkey after Syrians. Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe.

Calling on Europe to take reasonable and more logical steps to provide serious support to Turkey in this sense, Glaar added: "Germany is currently the leader of Europe. I would also like to emphasize that we wish Germany to develop friendly ties with Turkey. And if the refugee problem is to be resolved, then more consultation and communication is needed. We have witnessed how badly Greece treats refugees. At the point of throwing their boats back into the rivers after they pierced, or throwing them into the sea, they were faced with a treatment that no human conscience would accept. Efforts should be made for a fairer system and order in the world."

Turkey and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, saying the country violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children. A recent report by Amnesty International titled "Greece: Violence, lies and pushbacks" documented "how the Greek authorities are conducting illegal pushbacks at land and sea." Pushbacks are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements.

Explaining that it is not possible for Syrians to return to their countries in the short term, Glaar said: "Unless there is a just solution in Syria, it will not be possible for millions of Syrians to return to their homes, unfortunately, it will not be possible."

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Europe must be more active to prevent Afghan migrant crisis: Turkey | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are currently dealing with a migrant crisis triggered and fuelled by the regime in Belarus. They have no experience in managing such crises, and might find value in studying the approaches, solutions, and mistakes of EU peers such as Italy and Spain, countries that have often been on the frontline in dealing with illegal migration.

Spain and Italy have both had to deal with high numbers of arrivals in short periods of time, overloading their migrant reception systems. They have both suffered the economic, political, and social consequences of migration crises that continue to impact their societies. Migration has become a hot political issue, dividing populations, and distorting the discourse of political parties. Spain has also recently experienced the weaponisation of migrants in the city of Ceuta, where Moroccos political bargaining is reminiscent of the strategy adopted by Minsk.

There is no magic solution for irregular migration. In some cases, cooperating with origin and transit countries has been a fruitful mitigation strategy. But dealing with regimes such as Belarus, which turns migrants into geopolitical weapons, while at the same time ensuring respect for the human rights of the migrants themselves and the humanitarian obligations of target countries, continues to present a challenge.

Download and read: Pushed to the Limit? Italian and Spanish Lessons from the Migration Crises (PDF)

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Pushed to the Limit? Italian and Spanish Lessons from the Migration Crises - RKK ICDS

'These refugees have all been abandoned in a seemingly permanent state of waiting, trapped between home and a land of opportunities.'Twitter @LimboFilm

Limbo: an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.

The 2020 film, endowed with this curious, one-word title, tells the story of a group of all-male refugees who have been sidelined in the Scottish Isles and are stuck in such a limbo-like state, waiting to hear news on their sanctuary application. It is director Ben Sharrocks second feature film and the filmmakers experience is made evident through his use of heavily stylised shots to convey his characters bare-bones lifestyle, while simultaneously delivering the resonant political commentary of the film.

Throughout the story, we mainly follow Omar, a Syrian musician who carries his grandfathers oud with him everywhere he goes his only remnant of home. He lives with Farhad, his mellow companion who endlessly picks up new trinkets from the local donation box, as well as two brothers, Wasef and Abedi. They are left with no hope but to each day wait for the mailman who stops at every house but theirs, withholding the long-anticipated letter of acceptance to release them from this modern-day purgatory.

Sharrock seems to be asking his audience: as a refugee, how do you fight?

Sharrocks direction is confident yet controlled, creating a consistent aesthetic throughout the film, which somehow manages to make ugly 80s sweaters (of which there is an abundance) seem cool. The beauty of every scene combined with its deadpan humour makes Limbo an entertaining watch at the bare minimum. What truly elevates the film, however, is its pertinence to todays refugee crisis and its huge amount of heart when dealing with this topic. The film clearly seeks to enforce the humanity of its subjects. The characters are not merely part of a statistic, portrayed as parasitic thieves, or trapped cattle being herded from one place to another. They are not defined by their status as refugees, but are portrayed as flesh-and-blood humans with hobbies, families, and endless memories of their lives before.

These refugees have all been abandoned in a seemingly permanent state of waiting, trapped between home and a land of opportunities. They are bombarded by the harsh Scottish weather, shown in all its ever-changing glory through the timeline of the film which stretches over several years, and portrayed as a character in its own right. The bitter winds and bleak skies create a backdrop which, although breathtakingly beautiful, aptly reflects the cold shoulder welcome from the Scottish residents who are themselves similarly neglected by the Government. The locals taunt them, recalling the caricatured, racist image of a Middle-Eastern terrorist that haunts Western nightmares. According to them, Omar and his friends are there to take their women, destroy their homes, wreak chaos and pain. This aimless waiting in such an unwelcoming community erodes any remaining spirit after Omars treacherous journey to the UK and rather than using violence or military action, the Government seems to be exercising a much more cost-effective tactic: stick them in the middle of nowhere and wait until they give up.

Refugees should not have to be plastered, dead, across the front of newspapers for us to care

This battle against the weather is the most tangible struggle in the film as any progress towards gaining asylum seems next to impossible. Sharrock seems to be asking his audience: as a refugee, how do you fight? By constantly rehearsing for job interviews? Watching your friends water themselves down and become more British, more palatable? Erasing every trace of your ethnic identity and culture despite still being marked as an outsider by everyone?

Limbos political commentary, therefore, is incredibly relevant and will no doubt remain so for the foreseeable future. However, with Afghanistan trumping Syria in most recent headlines with regards to urgent calls to accept as many refugees who are fleeing the Talibans take-over, it also exposes how different crises come in and out of fashion. It shows how our short attention span grasps onto them, producing a few Instagram posts and social media outrage, only to fade out just as quickly and inconsequentially as it appeared. And what happens then? These refugees become past their sell-by date as one migrant comments (Limbo, 2020). They are no longer in fashion, they get stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a constant limbo, forever.

Refugees should not have to be plastered, dead, across the front of newspapers for us to care. And Limbo avoids this sensationalism or the medias customary harsh demand for instant guilt and empathy. Its characters are not degraded in order for us to see their struggle. Instead, there is a quiet unravelling of the whys and the hows of their various complex situations and backstories which adds a warmth to the film despite the Islands overwhelmingly harsh weather.

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding, and during this unprecedented global crisis, we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too.

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as 1, to help with our running costs at least until this global crisis ends and things begin to return to normal.

Many thanks, all of us here at Varsity would like to wish you, your friends, families and all of your loved ones a safe and healthy few months ahead.

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Portraying the refugee crisis in modern cinema - Varsity Online

PTI | | Posted by Sharangee Dutta, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

PUBLISHED ON SEP 14, 2021 10:13 PM IST

Turkey does not have the capacity to deal with a possible new refugee wave from Afghanistan, the Turkish president told German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a telephone call on Tuesday.

During the call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said Germany and other European Union nations should provide assistance to Afghanistan's neighbours to help them as they bear the burden of the Afghan migration, according to a statement from the Turkish leader's office.

Turkey, which already hosts the world's largest refugee population, including 3.7 million Syrians, is concerned about a potential influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban. Anti-migrant sentiment has been running high in Turkey as it grapples with economic woes, including high unemployment, that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

President Erdogan underlined that Turkey does not have the capacity to handle a new migration burden, said a statement from the presidential communications office.

Erdogan added that no one wants to relive an experience similar to the Syrian refugee wave of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people reached Greek islands by boats from the nearby Turkish coast, on their way to seek asylum in more prosperous EU countries.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal for Ankara to stem the flow of migrants heading toward Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support.

Erdogan told the German president that the EU should rapidly take steps to ensure that the deal is implemented by re-starting Turkey's stalled membership talks, updating the customs union with Ankara and granting visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, according to the statement.

There was no statement on the call from the office of the German president, whose duties are largely ceremonial.

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Dont have capacity to handle new refugee influx': Turkey on Afghanistan crisis - Hindustan Times

In a country like Italy, which has been a longstanding hotbed of political contestation and polarisation, it comes as no surprise that the latest global crisis -- the fall of Afghanistan and the ensuing exodus of refugees -- should serve to ignite a heated public debate.

Over the past decade, Italy has found itself at the forefront of Europe's migrant crisis. Over the past weeks, it has evacuated more than 5,000 Afghans.

While other European governments have turned their backs, Italys prime minister, Mario Draghi -- who currently leads a big tent coalition government -- has openly welcomed refugees to Italy, criticising the EUs overall approach.

Draghis position has been echoed by others, especially on the left. But for the right, and a large percentage of the wider Italian public, it represents a bone of contention.

As a result of its position, Italy has been one of Europes main gateways for migrants and asylum seekers arriving via the Mediterranean Sea.

Many of those making the perilous journey enter the country through the small Sicilian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, just off the coast of Tunisia.

While Italy has hosted refugees fleeing from war-torn territories and extreme poverty for decades, it received the biggest bulk of arrivals in the past 10 years. At the peak of the Mediterranean refugee crisis in 2016, 181,436 people reached Italys shores.

At the time, such an influx sparked a fierce political debate in a country that was still reeling from the shock of the Eurozone crisis.

While attitudes in Italy towards refugees have traditionally been warm, a noticeable shift occurred in the mid-2010s, as refugees came to be framed as a danger in mainstream media narratives. A survey also revealed Italians overestimated the percentage of foreigners living in the country.

The EU, in particular, came under fire, as a perceived lack of solidarity -- especially as the Dublin Regulation country of first arrival policy had put a particular onus on Italy -- prompted a surge in Eurosceptic sentiment.

The meteoric rise of Northern League (Lega Nord) leader Matteo Salvini has been linked by a variety of scholars and media outlets to the refugee crisis itself, with his transformation of the Lega from a moribund, scandal-ridden secessionist party into the nationalist, pan-Italian force. The party, standing on an anti-immigration platform, won the 2019 European Parliament elections in Italy.

As the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan has caused thousands to flee from their homes, this new refugee crisis has led to politicians coalescing along the same lines as in the mid-2010s - with the left supporting an open doors policy and the right expressing concern.

Polls would also suggest that the division inside Romes parliament is reflected within the wider Italian public. A survey conducted by Affaritaliani.it found that almost half of Italians (47.1%) were opposed to welcoming Afghan refugees into the country and Europe at large.

On the far-right end of the political spectrum, figures like the Leagues Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni from Brothers of Italy (Fratelli dItalia) have shown hesitancy towards the prospect of thousands of Afghan refugees entering and settling in Italy, fearing a mass wave of migrants that could "burden" the country.

Speaking last month, Salvini stated that he supported the idea of humanitarian corridors for women and children but wanted there to be checks on those wishing to come to Italy.

Open doors for thousands of men, including potential terrorists? he quipped. Absolutely not.

Salvinis coalition colleague, Giorgia Meloni has taken a more hardline stance by arguing that neighbouring countries should be the ones to welcome Afghan refugees, believing that humanitarian corridors are not the solution.

As the German Chancellor [Angela] Merkel has already stated we believe that the first thing to do is to support the states right next to Afghanistan to help them welcome refugees, Meloni said.

Even Berlusconis party -- the more moderate, centre-right Forza Italia -- was concerned by the possible security threat posed by welcoming refugees into the country.

[This] humanitarian crisis risks turning into a mass immigration that would be very dangerous for our already-compromised social system, stated Antonio Tajani, the Coordinator of Forza Italia and the former President of the European Parliament (2017-2019).

Umberto La Morgia, a former Northern League councillor in the Emilia-Romagna region, and now a member of the Brothers of Italy, told Euronews: Its understandable that people should be leaving [Afghanistan], and that, in this case, were dealing with actual refugees who need to be helped and welcomed."

At the same time, however, he reiterated that it should be neighbouring countries and the US -- as opposed to Italy -- who ought to provide the greatest degree of assistance, while supporting a humanitarian corridor between Afghanistan and Italy for women and children in particular.

Opposing the trepidation felt among many on the right, both the centre-left coalition (headed by the Democratic Party - Partito Democratico) and -- albeit less forcefully -- the populist Five Star Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle) have supported humanitarian corridors and urgently called for refugees to be accepted into Italy.

Lets mobilise the nation to help those who are staying [in Afghanistan] and welcome those who are fleeing, tweeted Democratic Party leader and former Italian Prime Minister (2013-2014), Enrico Letta. Lets support Afghan society, its evolution, and the women and men who dont want to go back to the Middle Ages. We are here.

Various mayors across Italy, including Romes Virginia Raggi, from the Five Star Movement, have openly welcomed the arrival of refugees. Also, several politicians, figures and leaders have condemned the rhetoric of many on the far-right, deeming it divisive and against the spirit of international cooperation.

Stirring up arguments about [welcoming refugees] doesnt make sense, asserted Laura Boldrini, a Democratic Party MP and former President of the Chamber of Deputies (2013-2018) and United Nations spokesperson. All thats needed is for the laws that already exist on requests for humanitarian protection to be respected - laws that, first and foremost, foresee an access to the [destinations] territory.

Moreover, Andrea Mammone, a professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, and one of the leading experts specialising in the history of the far-right, strongly criticised the way in which the Afghan refugee crisis had been politicised as part of a nationalist agenda.

As with many other European far-right politicians, Salvini and Meloni initially criticised the West because of its military policy - which was abandoning Afghanistan in the hands of radical Islam, he told Euronews. But they immediately made it clear how Italy cannot take refugees. In doing so, they show their anti-immigrant politics, considering Islam to be against traditional European values.

For the thousands of Afghan refugees currently residing in Italy, the crisis has caused deep concern. Many are worried about their relatives still in Afghanistan or struggling to leave.

Gulbadin Ahmedzai is one such person. Fleeing in 2016, he was hosted by family near Padua, in the Northern Italian region of Veneto, where he now speaks fluent Italian and runs a pizzeria.

My family wanted to stay in Afghanistan, but now I want them to be safe, here with me, he said, troubled by ongoing developments in his home country. These days I keep reiterating my promise to them: I will bring you all here, to safety.

Another refugee from the Panjshir region, who escaped to Italy last month, told Euronews last month that he would have been killed by the Taliban had he stayed, and that he fears for members of his family who have stayed behind.

We are all very worried, stated Qurban Ali Esmaely, the president of the Cultural Association of Afghans in Italy, while speaking to ANSA. We dont know how to help, everyone just thinks about how and to where theyll escape. Theres an indescribable terror among people.

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In Italy, the Afghan exodus has sparked a heated and divisive debate - Euronews