Turkey Marks World Refugee Day

Turkey on Thursday marked World Refugee Day by calling on the international community to show solidarity with forcibly displaced people worldwide.



In a statement, the country's Foreign Ministry said the international community should "show more solidarity with these people and host countries in line with equitable burden and responsibility sharing".



"We wish that World Refugee Day will be an occasion for the improvement of living conditions of refugees and asylum-seekers," it added.



The statement noted that the number of persons displaced due to various reasons such as conflicts, natural disasters and human rights violations increases everyday across the world.



"We believe that it is the common responsibility of the international community to provide necessary conditions for these people to live in dignity, to create conditions that would ensure safe return to their countries and to solve the problems forcing them to seek asylum," the ministry said.



Noting that Turkey is currently hosting 4 million refugees, the statement said: "Today, services we provide them in several fields, in particular health, education and access to labor market, are a guide for the international community."



Criticizing the international community for not doing enough on its part, the Foreign Ministry said: "We regrettably witness the rise of xenophobia, racism and discrimination against these people, who are economically and culturally enriching host countries and communities."



Playing an active role at the international platforms for the improvement of the refugees' rights, Turkey will continue to support the Global Compact on Refugees adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018, it added.



Turkey will co-chair the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Dec. 17-18, 2019. "We invite all countries and stakeholders to participate in the Forum at the highest level and to declare significant pledges for refugees at this Forum," the statement said. -