Turkey managed refugee influx remarkably well: UN representative
Turkey has managed the refugee influx “remarkably well,” the United Nations Population Fund’s representative in the country has said.
“It [Turkey] set a standard for the world to follow. A good response must address the entire development range, for example, economics, employment, social welfare, education, health, and infrastructure,” Karl Kulessa told state-run Anadolu Agency.
Turkey hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees — more than any other country in the world — spending more than $32 billion from its own national resources to help and shelter refugees since 2011, the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
Kulessa also talked about population dynamics in Turkey and the world, as well as the fund’s recent report on global fertility trends and reproductive rights, titled “The Power of Choice: Reproductive Rights and the Demographic Transition.”
In order to create an understanding about reproductive health and contraceptive choices for each person he said a “sustained and culturally sensitive approach” involving governments, community leaders and individuals themselves is required.
Some provinces in Turkey hosting more Syrians than Turks: EU ambassador
Some provinces in Turkey are hosting more Syrian refugees than Turkish nationals, European Union Delegation ambassador to Turkey Christian Berger said on Oct. 18.
“There are some places in southeastern Turkey where more Syrians are living than Turks,” Berger told a group of European journalists visiting Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
“But Syrians have always been warmly welcomed and taken care of in the last seven years,” Berger added.
Turkey sets an example for hospitality to Syrians and Gaziantep practices this, he said.
The international community also supported Turkey to this end, including the EU and the U.N., but the main source of financial spending is provided by Turkey, the ambassador noted.
Syrians are also contributing to Turkey with their skills, Berger said.
