Annual 'Visa on Delivery' for Turkish Citizens in the Greek Islands: News that Greece, as a member of the European Union (EU), is working on a new travel regulation for Turkish citizens, constitutes an important turning point in regional relations. According to the information leaked after the meeting of Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum Dimitris Keridis with Turkish Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya, the 1-year 'visa on arrival' application to be applied to Turkish citizens on seven islands in the Aegean Sea will not only provide ease of travel but also provide regional It symbolizes an important step in cooperation and diplomatic relations.
Annual 'Visa on Delivery' Period in the Greek Islands
GreeceAs a member of the European Union (EU), it plans to implement visa application for Turkish citizens at the door. According to the news of Yorgo Kırbaki from Hürriyet newspaper, Greece Minister of Immigration and Asylum Dimitris Keridis leaked the outlines of the draft of the ongoing negotiations to the Greek media after his meeting with Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya in Ankara.
According to Kathimerini newspaper, in the draft agreement titled "memorandum of understanding", it is envisaged that 'visa at the door' will be applied to Turkish citizens for 1 year on the islands of Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos, Leros and Meis in the Aegean Sea. In the previous period, before the epidemic, the 'visa at the door' application on the islands was limited to only 15 days. The question now is: Will the EU adopt the same model?
Kathimerini stated that this new visa facility for Turkish citizens on the islands could create a model for the whole of Europe in the future, and stated that Keridis recently discussed the details of the agreement in his meeting with Ylva Johansson, the member of the European Commission responsible for internal affairs.
In the same draft agreement, Kathimerini stated that an official from the Turkish Coast Guard will be on permanent duty on the island of Lesbos and an official from the Greek Coast Guard will be on permanent duty in Izmir, and that both countries will include two articles stating that they will avoid extremist rhetoric on illegal immigration. These details can be seen as positive steps towards strengthening the cooperation of both countries.
