Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam – ESI in major German and Dutch TV shows on the need for a renewed EU-Turkey Agreement
On 3 March, ESI's Gerald Knaus was invited to the German TV Show "Markus Lanz", together with former leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Sigmar Gabriel, and the journalist Christiane Hoffmann ("Der Spiegel"). The 70-minute discussion focused on the current status of the EU-Turkey deal, the migration crisis and the situation on the Turkish-Greek border.
On 5 March, Gerald Knaus was invited to a panel discussion on the German TV show "Maybrit Illner" entitled "Erdogan und die Flüchtlinge – Erpressung oder Notwehr?" (Erdogan and the refugees - blackmail or self-defence?). The discussion focused on the current situation on the Greek Islands, the status of the EU-Turkey statement, the relationship between the EU and Turkey, the situation in Idlib and the perception of the migrant crisis in Germany. Gerald stressed the benefits of the EU-Turkey statement such as how Syrian refugees are receiving education and health opportunities in Turkey but also pointed out areas in which the deal needs improvements. The other guests were Paul Ziemiak (General Secretary of the CDU), Annalena Baerbock (Chairwoman of the Green Party), Lamya Kaddor (Publicist and Islamic scholar), Kristin Helberg (Political scientist, Middle East expert), and Marie von Manteuffel (Médecins Sans Frontières).
On 8 March, Gerald Knaus was invited to the Dutch political TV show "Buitenhof" where he spoke about the about the dire situation of refugees on the Greek islands and at the Turkish-Greek border and the dangerous rhetoric of European politicians framing refugees as "invadors". In addition, Gerald spoke about the status of the EU-Turkey deal and the need for its renewal.