Turkey is ‘working to send refugees to their countries’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that Turkey is carrying out works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to make refugees in Turkey return to their countries.

Speaking in Antalya's Manavgat yesterday (September 12), Çavuşoğlu said, "Primarily with the UNHCR, we have some work to ensure that refugees, especially Syrians, return to their countries."

Saying that "the problem with refugees" has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Çavuşoğlu stated, "We have now started to receive better support from the international community to make refugees return to their countries in a safe manner."

NOTE: According to official numbers, there are nearly 3.9 million migrants and refugees in Turkey. Having different statuses, almost 90 percent of these migrants are from Syria.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu also talked about the migration wave from Afghanistan, which has come under Taliban rule after the US withdrawal.

Noting that the migration problem causes "unease" in society, Çavuşoğlu said that the situation in Afghanistan is "very different from Syria":

"Considering the current situation in Afghanistan, it is not right to send people right away, it is not possible. There is no addressee, either.

"We still see this issue as a problem. There is an unease in society, too. But it is extremely wrong to look at it with a racist and fascistic approach.

"We had already been sending Afghans to Afghanistan in planes during the time of the previous administration. Similarly, we send to Pakistan in the same way. While there is an ongoing war, rebuilding a country or a place is not realistic. The attitude of all of us about the regime is obvious, but meeting the basic needs in the field is not rebuilding a country." (RT/SD)