Blocked by Diplomatic Barriers : Syrian Refugees and the EU-Turkey Migration Cooperation

The recent EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration and refugees raised voices of humanitarian concerns with regard to the protection of the rights of Syrian refugees. Despite the positive efforts of Turkey to accommodate Syrian refugees, it still lacks a proper asylum system and measures that can guarantee their socio-economic integration and protect their rights. So instead of having a proper EU refugee resettlement system, they just offer money and mobility incentives to Turkey to keep the Syrian refugees on its land, while sidelining the deteriorating status of those refugees in Turkey. This paper argues that EU-Turkey cooperation on migration is security/interest-based, which counters the protection of the rights of Syrian refugees. On one hand, the EU hoped to guard itself from potential security threats, reflecting the dilemma of security vs. human rights. On the other hand, Turkey was hoping to accelerate visa waivers for its nationals and ease its accession to the EU membership