Amendment No. 13 | Doc. 13867 | 28 September 2015
Countries of transit: meeting new migration and asylum challenges
In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 7 with the following paragraph:
"As examples of how the situation in countries experiencing significant levels of transit migration can improve, the Assembly welcomes recent developments in Turkey and Morocco. These countries are at different stages of introducing new migration policies, laws and institutions, and further developing their cooperation with international actors, notably the UNHCR and the IOM. Much needs to be done, however, in order to effectively implement legislation and policies, in full compliance with the Refugee Convention and in Morocco. The Assembly encourages Morocco to continue with necessary reforms until their completion and effective implementation, which would have the potential to make Morocco a regional model of good practice. It also urges the international community, in particular the Council of Europe and the European Union, to reinforce their encouragement and support for this process. In the case of Turkey, the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are in compliance with the international standards. Turkey hosts nearly 2 million Syrians and has spent more than 6 billion US Dollars on addressing their needs. Turkey's migration management in recent years has been widely appreciated by the international community, and therefore as a country hosting the largest refugee community, it has become a global model of good practice. These countries and the European Union should refrain from agreements that could have counterproductive effects, such as a one-sided emphasis on strengthening border controls."
Explanatory note
As a country, hosting more than 2 million Syrians and Iraqis, and being the biggest refuge-hosting country according to UNHCR data, I want to underline that with no concrete evidence of shortcomings, an appeal for effective implementation by Turkey is unfounded and unacceptable.