Syrian refugees cost Turkey $7.6 billion
YEREVAN, September 19. / ARKA /. Turkey’s deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said Friday that Turkey wouldn’t open its borders with Greece and Bulgaria to migrants. Most travelers don’t have valid passports or visas, he said.
If European nations committed to accepting any number of refugees currently trying to go west from Turkey, the deputy prime minister added, Ankara would provide planes to fly them to their new host country.
Kurtulmus welcomed a European Union initiative that may allocate up to 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion) to help Ankara with its humanitarian efforts, but noted that the refugee crisis had already cost Turkey $7.6 billion.
Speaking at a news conference he said 53,228 refugees were saved in Turkey’s territorial waters but 247 people died trying to cross to Greece by sea.
In June 2015 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said that Turkey had the largest number of refugees in the world with more than 20 refugee camps created in its territory.-0-
If European nations committed to accepting any number of refugees currently trying to go west from Turkey, the deputy prime minister added, Ankara would provide planes to fly them to their new host country.
Kurtulmus welcomed a European Union initiative that may allocate up to 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion) to help Ankara with its humanitarian efforts, but noted that the refugee crisis had already cost Turkey $7.6 billion.
Speaking at a news conference he said 53,228 refugees were saved in Turkey’s territorial waters but 247 people died trying to cross to Greece by sea.
In June 2015 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said that Turkey had the largest number of refugees in the world with more than 20 refugee camps created in its territory.-0-