07.07.2021 – 08:44
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay has called on the European Union (EU) to pave the way for legal migration for Syrians based on the principle of burden-sharing and responsibility for Syrian refugees.
Vice President Oktay also called on EU member states to activate the voluntary humanitarian acceptance mechanism with concrete commitments and to increase accommodation quotas for refugees.
His comments came at the signing ceremony of the Turkish Bank banklbank ”s Local Government – Local Government Financing Agreement under the EU Refugee Assistance Program in Turkey at the ATO Congress, an international convention and exhibition center in Ankara.
Oktay said nearly 4 million Syrian brothers and sisters, fleeing terror and persecution in Syria, have taken refuge in Turkey. He also stressed that Turkey currently provides assistance and protection to 9 million victims, including displaced persons within Syria’s borders.
“We are saddened to see the attitudes towards migrants in the Aegean and the Mediterranean and how humanity has failed to provide humanitarian support to them.” he stressed.
Oktay accused the EU and the United Nations (UN) of watching the human tragedy and failing to take the necessary steps.
Turkey has been an important transit point for asylum seekers intending to cross into Europe to start a new life, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Syria has been ravaged by civil war since early 2011 when Bashar al-Assad’s regime clashed with pro-democracy protesters.
According to UN estimates, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and over 10 million displaced.
