Turkey ‘ready to help’ Europe fight racism, xenophobia

Turkey is ready to help fight against xenophobia, racism and Islamophobic rhetoric in Europe, Turkish Parliament speaker said Friday.

İsmail Kahraman's remarks came during a meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in the Italian capital.

"It is worrying and upsetting to see that xenophobia, racism and Islamophobic rhetoric can easily find place in mainstream politics in Europe -- in addition to extreme right-wing circles -- under the influence of local and national elections," Kahraman said.

The speaker called for a "sincere struggle" against terrorism and rising problems in Europe.

"It is especially dangerous to use marginalizing discourse, which harms the culture of coexistence, as a tool of populist policies," Kahraman said, adding these "tendencies which threaten the future of larger Europe" could only be confronted by "embracing the principles of democracy, human rights, rule of law and tolerance".

"Turkey is ready to give the necessary support in this process," he said.

Kahraman underlined the importance of cooperation among Mediterranean countries in order to address the migrant crisis, and terrorism.

"The EU and the Mediterranean region should undertake an important function on the way to peace and stability," he said.

Noting that Turkey was a part of Europe and a Mediterranean country, Kahraman said Turkey was "fully aware of its responsibility to transform the Mediterranean basin into a region of peace, democracy and prosperity", and "has done more than its part" in this regard.

The speaker recalled that Turkey was hosting nearly 3 million refugees from Syria, making it the top refugee-hosting country.

He also underlined Turkey's efforts in significantly reducing the number of illegal migrants taking the Aegean route as part of a deal reached last year between Turkey and the EU.

"The migrant crisis and the threat of terrorism have shown that Turkey is a key partner in terms of ensuring the security and stability of the EU.

"For this reason, the EU should shape its approach towards Turkey with a long-term strategic understanding," Kahraman said.

Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal in March 2016, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Since then, the number of refugees caught crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece has fallen by 85 percent, according to the Turkish Coast Guard.