Turkey's EU minister attends groundbreaking ceremony for refugee reception center

GAZIANTEP- Speaking at the meeting which was also participated by Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Bagis said the reception center would be a sign of cooperation between Turkey and the EU and add to Turkey's strategic position.

Bagis said Turkey played an important role in the global effort against illegal immigration, adding that Turkey repatriated around 667 thousand illegal migrants over the past 32 years., adding that the figure was estimated to reach 1 million within the next 17 years.

Bagis said Turkey and the EU have agreed on a readmission agreement, adding that Turkey had certain expectations in order to pen the agreement such as removal of visa requirements for Turks visiting EU countries.

"We are expecting that the EU end the unfair, unreasonable and illegal visa requirement on our nationals," Bagis said.