Turkey will not serve as a refugee camp or border guard for any other nation and under no circumstances will it take on the international obligations of third countries, the country's Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
The statement came after British news reports claimed that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, one of the candidates for the office of the prime minister, may demand an agreement with Turkey similar to the agreement arranged with Rwanda on asylum partnership.
Responding to the news reports, Tanju Bilgiç, the Turkish Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, said: "We hope that these claims that were published in reference to Ms. Truss are baseless."
In April, the United Kingdom and Rwanda reached a 120 million pound ($142 million) deal that would see asylum-seekers attempting to enter the U.K. being sent to the East African country for resettlement.
Bilgiç said in a statement that Turkey has already been hosting the largest number of refugees in the world for the last eight years.
"It is therefore out of question for Turkey to shoulder more burden or to be a part of an initiative, at third countries' request, that does not comply with international regulations on right to asylum," he said, adding: "Besides, we had already shared our position publicly last year following similar news published on Afghan refugees."
"Accordingly, we invite all countries to fulfill their international obligations and assume equal responsibility on migration issues," Bilgiç said.
Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution in their countries.
It already hosts nearly 5 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
The future of nearly 5 million migrants, mostly Syrians, in Turkey has sparked heated debate in Turkish politics in recent times.
Migrants and refugees in Turkey will voluntarily return to their countries once peace is established, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in April.
Erdoğan's remarks came amid an ongoing debate about whether to allow Syrian migrants and refugees in Turkey to visit their country during the Bayram holidays. The migrants have been briefly visiting their families and relatives in areas liberated from terrorists during the holidays and returned back to Turkey.
But this year, a debate emerged as Turkey deals with an influx of migrants from more conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries, in addition to the society's economic problems, which some sections shift the burden on migrants' shoulders.
It's been more than 10 years since the first group of Syrian refugees, consisting of 250 people, entered Turkey, starting their new lives in the country after fleeing the war and persecution of the Bashar Assad regime. 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 more Syrian migrants than any other country in the world. The country also leads humanitarian aid efforts for Syrians in Turkey and opposition-controlled areas of northern Syria, while making large investments for Syrians in Turkey in social cohesion policies to help Syrians integrate into society smoothly.
The return of Syrian refugees has been made possible by the safe zones created as a result of Turkey's successful cross-border counterterrorism operations against the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot, the YPG, and Daesh terrorists. Since launching several operations in northern Syria to fight terrorism, Turkey also rolled up its sleeves to reconstruct hospitals, schools, mosques and roads destroyed by the terror groups. These efforts paid off as hundreds of displaced Syrians started to return to the liberated areas. In line with its goal to rejuvenate the region, Turkey is also building briquette houses for Syrians in the northwestern Idlib province, the last opposition bastion.
Concerns have risen again over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan due to the United States' pullout from the country and the subsequent surge of Taliban attacks. In the face of a potential migrant wave due to the instability emanating from Afghanistan, Turkey has also maximized its measures on its eastern border. The country has also continued efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new migrant wave in the face of recent developments in Afghanistan. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul in August.
Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third-party countries. Erdoğan urged European countries to take responsibility for any new influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming "Europe's migrant storage unit."