FAZ on NATO Summit: ‘Erdogan is Erdogan’

The Turkish president is an unpredictable NATO partner, according to FAZ. SPIEGEL: Refugees in the “service” of the Greek police for illegal deportations to Evros?

Will the Turkish president give the green light for Sweden and Finland to join NATO? Ahead of the start of the Alliance Summit, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting in Madrid with the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Sweden, the first meetings at this level since blocking the accession of the two countries. “Under normal circumstances,” she points out Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, “(Such meetings) would indicate that a solution is imminent, as diplomats have been talking for days about good progress in the negotiations and referring to the informal goal of reaching an agreement before the start of the Summit. But yesterday it was also heard that Erdogan is Erdogan. “That is, unpredictable, and that no one knows what he is really thinking. Stoltenberg, who acts as mediator, expressed reservations yesterday as usual, saying he would not make promises, but assurances that ‘we are working hard to ensure progress’.”

“Only from a position of power vis-στη-vis Russia”

The newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung also recalls the NATO Secretary General’s promise that “the summit will be transformative and that the alliance must be renewed”, … A transatlantic dinner will be held as a sign of unity. In addition to NATO countries, there will be heads of state and government from those non-NATO EU countries: Malta, Austria, Ireland, Cyprus, such as Finland and Sweden. This will pay even more attention to the Turkish President. “The Cyprus issue has prevented even greater co-operation between NATO and the EU, and now Turkey is putting obstacles in the way of Sweden and Finland joining the alliance, because the Scandinavians allegedly support terrorist organizations.”

The German press also pays particular attention to Stoltenberg’s announcement of a significant reinforcement of NATO’s NRF Rapid Reaction Force in order to deal with threats. Indicatively what the Brand name. “NATO wants to put 300,000 troops across Europe on high alert to signal that it is ready to defend itself against an aggressive Russia. The Kremlin has obviously been pursuing a policy of using force for the past two decades, so it must be dealt with forcefully. Yes, Europe must know how to defend itself. “Nevertheless, there is still the unpleasant feeling that we are completely in Putin’s game.”

Refugees in the “service” of illegal deportations?

New revelations about pushbacks in Evros, but this time with the active help of arrested refugees, come to light through the Spiegel and reproduced from other websites. This is the case of a Syrian named Basel M., who was arrested by a Greek police officer and because he spoke English he was accused of being the leader of a trafficking gang. In fact, in order not to be taken to prison, the Greek police officer made the unusual offer to cooperate with the Greek police and help border guards in the town of Tychero Evros to bring refugees back to Turkey in exchange for the deletion of charges of smuggling refugees and residence permit over 30 days.

“Apparently, Syros is not the only refugee recruited in this way by Greek officials,” the German magazine wrote on its website. According to a joint investigation by Spiegel, the investigative journalism team “Lighthouse Reports”, the ARD show “Report München” and the newspapers “Le Monde” and “Guardian”, the Greek police specifically use immigrants as thugs in illegal repulsions. Rumors of this practice have been circulating for years, with hundreds of victims of illegal deportations reported being transferred behind Arabic-speaking or Farsi-speaking migrants, and after months of investigation, a team of journalists, with the help of the NGO Consolidated Rescue Group, was able to speak. “Six of these men for the first time. They independently confessed to each other that they were forced to return to Turkey by force. Their allegations were verified with the help of photographs, satellite images and official Greek documents.”

The 8 columnists of the article report that residents of Greek villages near the border said that it was a “common secret” in the area for deportations to be carried out by refugees on behalf of the police. “Farmers and fishermen, who are allowed to enter the forbidden area in Evros, have repeatedly observed the activity of refugees. Immigrants in this part of Evros are not seen except those who work for the police,” said a resident of the area. Three Greeks “Police who know the facts also confirmed the practice by talking to Spiegel and his associates. The Greek Ministry of Interior and the police left unanswered relevant official questions,” the article reads.

Cannabis use and alcohol

Worrying figures in the Vienna-based UN Annual Report on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In the EU, an increase in the number of marijuana users is causing a corresponding 30% increase in drug treatment and pressure on healthcare providers. “Now one can say that the planned legalization (in Germany) should be limited to adults” comments the Süd-Wet Press. “But anyone who thinks this will not affect young people is just naive. Waiting times to make an appointment with a psychiatrist or psychologist are long today. If the next hearing (bodies in the parliamentary committee) is serious, then the coalition government will have to reconsider legitimacy. “But it is a project of the new government that is in progress, no matter how much it costs.”

For the left day care of Berlin, Germany is a negative example, because since 2013 the use of cannabis has increased by 50% and consequently the admission to hospitals for treatment. “Between 2000 and 2018, they increased eightfold” is typically mentioned. “Treatments for cannabis-related mental disorders have more than quadrupled. In Germany, the number of alcohol addicts – despite the declining trend – continues to significantly exceed the number of cannabis addicts. At present, about 1.6 million people “They are considered addicted to alcohol, unlike” only “300,000 cannabis addicts. However, the UN report largely avoids comparisons with alcohol or tobacco,” she wrote.

Irini Anastassopoulou

SOURCE: Deutsche Welle