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First 32 Syrians arrive in Germany under EU-Turkey migration deal

Xinhua, April 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Under a migration deal between the European Union (EU) and Turkey, a total of 32 Syrian refugees arrived on two separate airlines on Monday at Hanover Airport, Germany.

The six Syrian families, who had been selected by UN refugee agency UNHCR as particularly needy, were allowed to travel legally on a direct route from Istanbul to Germany.

The first 16 refugees arrived at noon at the Friedland shelter near the German city of Goettingen, and then they will be resettled in cities and towns in the German state of Lower Saxony.

The asylum-seekers were received by police as well as staff of German Federal Agency for Technical Relief and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

The migration deal between EU and Turkey stipulates all refugees and migrants who reach Greece from Turkey illegally March 20 onwards can be returned forcibly to Turkey. Meanwhile, EU will resettle one Syrian refugee from Turkey for every Syrian that Turkey takes back from the Greek islands.

This regulation applies initially to 72,000 Syrian refugees who have sought asylum in Turkey. A total of 15,000 of them can come to Germany. Endit