EU Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik said yesterday that Turkey has urged the EU to put its aid plan for Syrian refugees into practice as soon as possible, after meeting with EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides in Ankara.

Çelik said even though Turkey welcomes the European Union's 3+3 billion euro aid plan, he underscored that the mechanism for transmitting money to Turkey should function better. "We do not want this money for ourselves and we do not need it. It will be spent on educational projects, better health services and meeting the basic needs of the Syrian refugees."

Stylianides said the EU was set yesterday to launch a 34-million-euro aid project that will provide an income to 1 million refugees. "The project that was launched today is the biggest humanitarian project the EU has ever supported," he said, adding the program is "proof of the EU's commitment to [help] Turkey cover the challenge posed by the refugee crisis."

The project mentioned by Stylianides is funded of 348 million euros, which is only 10 percent of the 6 billion euro amount previously promised. As Turkey is home to an estimated 3 million refugees, the project will provide only about 100 euros per refugees.

Ankara has spent $12 billion on refugee aid since the Syrian crisis began and the country is home to nearly 3 million of Syriatarget="_blank"'>