The Party of the European Left strongly opposes the shameful EU -Turkey agreement.

It must be underlined once more that the proposed agreement contradicts the international and European legal framework as well as the Geneva Convention.

Transferring refugees back from EU territory to Turkey means that refugees could end up back in a war zone once again and facing life-endangering risks. It is also well known that Turkey, facing serious issues when it comes to human rights is far from being a ‘safe third country’- especially when Turkish organisations as well as international ones (e.g. Amnesty International) report that many refugees in Turkey live in desperate conditions, let alone been detained and pushed back across the Syrian border by the Turkish authorities.

Moreover, Turkey is not a full signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not abide by the Geneva Convention.

The argument that this procedure will discourage the journey of people fleeing massacre and war is unrealistic, when it is common knowledge that people will be forced to take ever more deadly routes to reach Europe and multiply the profits of the people traffickers.

In any case, the EU-Turkey agreement breaks international law: nobody can be pushed back or returned to Turkey or to their homeland without been given the option of asylum claim, nobody's right to claim asylum can be denied. The EU-Turkey agreement is in effect abolishing the individual right to asylum and is therefore simply illegal, inhuman and unacceptable.

Both EU leaders and Turkish government need to realise their crucial role in hosting, protecting and sustaining the human and civic rights of refugees, demanding NATO to withdraw its warships from the Aegean Sea – an action implying the militarisation of the borders and no aid to refugees. Furthermore, they need to assist them in their struggle towards a decent and new life, through open borders policies, safe and legal ways of relocation and social integration, respecting their tragic experiences and their right to create a future for themselves in peace and prosperity.