Turkey preparing EU-funded refugee aid plans, AFAD chairman says

Turkey will prioritize investments in education and health as it lays out 3 billion euros from the EU for aid projects for Syrian refugees, according to a report Monday.

Europe has pledged to give Ankara the fund for refugees as part of a wider deal that is meant to see Ankara help stem the flow of migrants to the EU. Turkey says it has some 2.7 million Syrian refugees.

"We have been doing the necessary work and prepared the projects that will use the 3 billion euro fund," Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) head Fuat Oktay told Hürriyet Daily News.

"The priority will be investments on education and health," Oktay said, adding that infrastructure projects and building new refugee camps are also planned.

The proposals must still be submitted to the Dutch government, the holder of the European Union presidency, according to the report in the Hürriyet Daily News.

AFAD has taken the lead role in Turkey in dealing with the refugee crisis and runs the refugee camps built for the Syrians.

Turkey has the largest number of Syrian refugees and is also the main transit point for migrants taking dangerous, illegal boats to reach the EU.