Is the Construction of Walls by Turkey Also Beneficial for the EU?

• 06.24.2017, 14:07
• Greta Avetisyan
•  Europe,  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

In the international practice, the phenomenon of building walls by countries with neighboring states has always existed, but in the era of globalization, it seemed that the number of walls will be gradually reduced. Nevertheless, as the global developments show, the opposite trend is observed.

Recently Turkey completed the 700 km long wall on the border with Syria, a step, which, according to Turkey, is conditioned by the necessity of preventing the entry of terrorists from the territory of Syria to Turkey. Moreover, Turkey is planning to build a wall on the border with Iran again for the same reason. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the reason for building walls first of all is not banning the entry of the terrorists. It is mostly conditioned by the Kurdish factor to put more control on the Kurds in Kurdish-populated areas.

It should be mentioned that there was information that Turkey intends to build a wall on the border with Armenia, but there is no official announcement about it.

It is noteworthy that the idea of building walls by Turkey was not criticized by the EU, which, based on its values, has always been in favor of open borders with neighbors, cross-border cooperation.

It is obvious that the "silence" of the EU is conditioned by the fact that especially the wall built on the border with Syria is also in the interests of the EU. It is already several years that the migrant issue is one of  the most painful issues for the EU, on the background of which the number of the terrorist attacks has increased in the territory of the EU. Thus for the EU the walls built by Turkey are seen as tools for decreasing the migrant flows.