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EU-Turkey visa deal to collapse soon: Analyst

Wednesday, 04 May 2016 6:35 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 04 May 2016 6:32 AM ]

The Turkish national flag (L) and the European Union (EU) flag are pictured ahead of a summit on relations between the EU and Turkey on managing the refugee crisis facing Europe, in Brussels, November 29, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Press TV has interviewed James Petras, a Middle East expert, about the European Union conditionally approving visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in Europe's passport-free Schengen area under the terms of a refugee deal between Ankara and the EU.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you think about this deal between the European Union and Turkey of which now Turkey obviously is pressing for what it gained out of it and that is the visa free travel for its citizens?

Petras: I do not think it is a viable understanding because the European Union insists that the Turkish regime under Erdogan apply the 72 understandings that the EU is demanding and prima facie the Erdogan regime has been repressing free speech not only in Turkey but trying to impose its arbitrary rulings in Holland and Sweden and other countries particularly in regard to some satires on their public media.

Beyond that, the Turkish government has been jailing hundreds of journalists, academics and has been repressing media particularly business media which has been critical of the government.

So I do not see how the Erdogan regime can comply with the regulations which would allow it to obtain the visas for its citizens and in the region itself the Schengen Agreement provides the local governments with the power to restrict the circulation of visa available Turkish citizens so that even if, and that is virtually impossible, even if Erdogan would comply, that is end the repressive regimes and the jailing and the torture, if they comply, the citizens would still have to face restrictions on the borders.

So I do not think this is going to work. I think the people in the countries engaged in this agreement are not going to allow Turkish visa holders to enter their country. So I think this is going to collapse very quickly.

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