Will visa-free Serbia become a dream? This is how they tried to smuggle Afghans with Turkish passports into Europe!

Serbian authorities have informed Turkish officials that individuals of Afghan nationality holding Turkish passports were caught attempting to cross into Hungary through their country. 12punto columnist Bahadır Selim Dilek detailed the human smuggling operation in his column today, titled "A terrifying passport scandal!" In his article, Dilek stated that the Serbian police found automatic weapons on some of these individuals.

A SCANDALOUS DEVELOPMENT!

The relevant part of Dilek's article is as follows:

Leaving aside those fleeing the increasingly harsh living conditions in the country, Afghans, Pakistanis, Syrians, and even those of African origin who have arrived in Turkey one way or another are looking to make it to Europe with Republic of Turkey passports in their pockets.

This is exactly where the trouble begins.

While we keep wondering, "How did these people become Turkish citizens and get passports in one fell swoop?", it recently emerged that a scandalous development of great concern to Turkey took place on the Serbian-Hungarian border.

Let's get straight to the point without further ado.

REQUEST FOR A JOINT TASK FORCE

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gašić, who is also his country's former intelligence chief, recently approached the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade to convey that he wanted to discuss an important matter.

A date and time for the meeting were quickly set.

Meeting with Belgrade Ambassador Hami Aksoy, Bratislav Gašić requested the establishment of a joint task force between Serbia and Turkey to prevent human smuggling.

Bratislav Gašić detailed the reasons for his request.

TURKISH PASSPORTS FOUND ON THEM

He stated that human smugglers of Afghan nationality are operating in the city of Subotica on the Serbia-Hungary border and are smuggling people into Europe from there, adding that some of them were subsequently caught by the Serbian police with automatic weapons.

He presented the developments in that region as an argument and, in diplomatic language, implied that "you are the source of the problem."

Because a significant majority of the members of the Afghan-origin migrant smuggling network caught by the Serbian police were found to be carrying Republic of Turkey passports.

PASSPORTS ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER

Bratislav Gašić emphasized that around 300 people caught with Republic of Turkey passports in operations carried out over the last 7 days have been deported, and that around 500 Turkish citizens are currently waiting in a removal center.

He also described small-scale armed clashes between the migrant smuggling gang and the Serbian police.

Bratislav Gašić's statements were not limited to these.

During the meeting, he revealed much more striking details regarding the issue.

In addition to those found on the members of the smuggling network, the Serbian police seized a large number of Republic of Turkey passports issued under different names during the operations.

These are the passports left behind with smugglers by those who came from Turkey and wanted to flee to European countries, so they would not be deported from the countries they went to.

One detail did not escape the Serbian police's notice.

As a result of a brief investigation, it was understood that the passports found on this group had been issued in September and October of 2023.

10 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN 3 MONTHS

Clearly, there is an organized activity at play! It seems someone has been working specifically for those who will flee to Europe via Serbia and has ensured that passports were issued.

Furthermore, the Serbian police determined that the number of Republic of Turkey citizens who came to Subotica to cross into EU member countries in the last three months is over 10 thousand.

Serbian Interior Minister Gašić, in essence, told the Turkish Ambassador, "The route is already through you; my brother, the armed smugglers here are Afghans with Turkish passports. Your own citizens are also trying to flee from here. We have seized so many passports. We have responsibilities toward the EU; let's establish a task force together."

WILL A TASK FORCE BE ESTABLISHED?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already aware that the EU has been pressuring Balkan countries to ensure border security due to groups of legal and illegal migrants coming from Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq through Turkey, using similar arguments.

Moreover, this includes EU members Bulgaria and Greece.

Ultimately, Ambassador Hami Aksoy sent the dialogue he had with the Serbian Interior Minister and the minister's request from Turkey to the center, i.e., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via a coded message.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the relevant authorities about the issue, primarily the Ministry of Interior, via a letter and requested an opinion on whether such a task force should be established and, if so, what its scope should be.

It has not yet become clear whether Turkey has provided a response, and if it has, whether this task force will be established or how it will be structured if it is.

But let us underline once again with a thick pen how important this issue is. The fact that Republic of Turkey passports were found on Afghan-origin human smugglers in Serbia, and that the passports left behind by the fugitives were issued within the last two months, naturally brings many question marks with it.

News Source: 12punto