Turkey and Jordan are working together to ensure a voluntary return of Syrians living in these countries, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Wednesday.
Speaking during a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in the capital Ankara, Çavuşoğlu said: “We want to host a conference on the ministerial level on this issue in Turkey.”
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has backed moderate opposition groups against the Assad regime and opened its doors to those who had to flee the country to save their lives.
Now, Turkey hosts nearly 3.8 million Syrian migrants, more than any country in the world. The country also leads humanitarian aid efforts for Syrians in Turkey and opposition-controlled areas of northern Syria. It has also engaged in building briquette houses for Syrians and enhancing conditions in the safe zones created through counterterrorism operations to facilitate the return of volunteers.
Jordan is also hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees.
Underlining that bilateral ties with Jordan are strong, Çavuşoğlu said that both countries share several regional challenges and that they have similar views on these issues. He emphasized that both countries have coinciding views on the Palestine issue and the state of Jerusalem as well.
“We will continue our cooperation with international institutions such as the United Nations and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation.”
The two top diplomats discussed all dimensions of ties as well as steps to enhance cooperation in areas such as education and culture.
