On 4 July 2023, Türkiye and ICMPD organised a high-level event titled "Migratory flows and regional challenges - Türkiye's way forward on migration" in Brussels. The European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, delivered a keynote speech. The President of Türkiye's Presidency of Migration Management, Savaş Ünlü, Deputy Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Johannes Luchner and ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger participated in the panel moderated by ICMPD's Brussels Mission Director Ralph Genetzke.
In the context of Türkiye's 2023 Chairmanship of the Steering Group of ICMPD, the Turkish Permanent Delegation to the EU hosted a high-level event to discuss Türkiye's emerging policy priorities in the field of migration as well as questions of strategic cooperation with the European Union in the wider region.
In their welcome speeches, Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Chairman of the Board of the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, and Faruk Kaymakci, Ambassador of the Permanent Delegate of Türkiye to the EU, highlighted the need for a new comprehensive approach to migration management as well as the importance of EU-Türkiye cooperation in this field.
European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi praised the strong partnership between the EU and Türkiye, including migration, in his keynote speech. He further commended Türkiye's critical role as a security provider and reliable mediator while emphasising the EU's commitment to continue supporting Türkiye given the regional migratory challenges. “We will continue to be committed to remain a reliable and predictable partner of Türkiye. We want to seize the emerging opportunities. And we want to be constructive to address the common challenges together in partnership.”
ICMPD Director General added: “The success of our migration partnership approach is based on the recognition of mutual challenges and priorities combining political dialogue, technical expertise, and a strong investment to support concrete measures on the ground.”
The high-level panel exchanged views on EU-Türkiye relations and acknowledged the importance of increasing strategic cooperation in the wider region. They underlined the value of international dialogues and partnerships delivering concrete results and contributing to joint migration governance with countries of origin and transit.
The event ended with a reception hosted by Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, Permanent Delegate of Türkiye to the European Union and Dr Savaş Ünlü, President of Migration Management.