Deputy PM: Turkey proud of its support to Syrian refugees


Deputy Prime Minister Cevdet Yılmaz said Turkey's approach to the refugee crisis has been exemplary. Evaluating the recent developments and answering questions from Anadolu Agency, Yılmaz said: "Even though we have relatively low economic capabilities when compared with the West, we are handling the refugee crisis as well as we can. This will be a part of history we will be proud of."Pointing to how the world has developed significantly in an economic sense compared to previous centuries, Yılmaz said refugees are still losing their lives in the Mediterranean trying to get to more prosperous countries. Yılmaz said the human side of this problem and the deaths at sea are a shame for the whole of humanity. He said people who live in regions with economic and political instability migrate to prosperous countries due to hardships they face in their countries, and added: "This is actually about inclusiveness. As long as the world stays as it is and does not achieve a balanced state, unfortunately, we will continue to witness such tragedies."Yılmaz said the recent incidents' connection to the Syrian issue is becoming widely acknowledged, and added: "Turkey is currently the country home to the highest number of refugees in the world. Even though we have relatively low economic capabilities when compared with the West, we are handling the refugee crisis as well as we can. This will be a part of history we will be proud of. However, it should be made clear that the refugee crisis is an issue concerning all countries. According to international laws, everyone has to do their part and support the other. Unfortunately, I have to say that this support is almost nonexistent, especially when talking about Turkey." Yılmaz said it is a positive development that the recent tragedies have caught the interest of the international community. He added: "Hopefully we will see much more support from both Europe and the [rest of the] world. I believe that it is important to provide support to Turkey by the international community in this matter."