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HELP TURKEY CARE FOR SYRIA'S REFUGEE
Toronto Sun
July 9 2014
Ali Riza Guney
Throughout much of its history, Turkey has been a safe haven for
persecuted people, regardless of their ethnic, religious and political
background.
Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century;
Jewish people suffering under the brutality of Nazi Germany; Iraqi
Kurds facing the threat of annihilation by Saddam Hussein's regime
from 1988-91; Bulgarian Turks victimized in the final years of the
Communist era, are a few of the cases in point.
Turkey's geographically central location and the hospitable character
of the Turkish people played a decisive role in this unique approach.
Since the beginning of the brutal attacks of the Bashar al-Assad
regime against its own citizens in 2011, Turkey did not spare her
hand of support to the Syrian people.
The extent of this humanitarian assistance deserves more light.
In the last three years, the humanitarian assistance Turkey has
extended to Syrian civilian refugees has surpassed $3 billion.
Except for approximately $150 million delivered by the international
community, this amount was provided from the state budget as well as
by Turkish taxpayers.
According to the records of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, as of June 2014, there were 223,471 Syrian people sheltered
at 22 protection centers, established as state-of-the-art facilities.
More than half a million Syrians have also been registered as urban
refugees in various Turkish cities.
In other words, Turkey has been facing up to the obligation of
sustaining the livelihood of a population more than that of Brampton,
for the last three years.
To give a sense of the dimension of the dramatic realities on the
ground, let the figures speak for themselves:
To date, approximately 70,000 Syrian children have been provided
primary and secondary education inside and outside the camps.
Nearly 50,000 medical operations and three million medical examinations
have been conducted by Turkish hospitals and medical staff.
More than 7,000 vocational programs in various fields were provided
to Syrian women, equipping them with lifetime skills.
Last but not least, more than 12,000 Syrian babies were born in the
refugee camps under Turkish medical care.
Not only the Syrian Muslim people, but also the Armenians in Syria
who preferred to leave their country in the face of life-threatening
risks, were helped by the Turkish authorities.
Despite the increasing numbers and needs of sheltered people in
Turkey, in parallel with the deteriorating situation in Syria, it is
no secret that the financial burden on the shoulders of Turkey has
not been sufficiently shared by the international community.
We believe it is high time for all nations around the globe to
translate their rhetoric of support into material support, because
in these historical test cases for humanity, actions speaks louder
than words.
That said, no matter what the amount of international assistance
given to Turkey in this noble cause, the government of the Republic
of Turkey is determined to maintain its "open door policy" to those
persecuted by the Assad regime forces and its collaborators, and to
continue writing the humanitarian success story of the 21st century.
-- Guney is the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Toronto
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/09/help-turkey-care-for-syrias-refugee
From: Baghdasarian
Toronto Sun
July 9 2014
Ali Riza Guney
Throughout much of its history, Turkey has been a safe haven for
persecuted people, regardless of their ethnic, religious and political
background.
Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century;
Jewish people suffering under the brutality of Nazi Germany; Iraqi
Kurds facing the threat of annihilation by Saddam Hussein's regime
from 1988-91; Bulgarian Turks victimized in the final years of the
Communist era, are a few of the cases in point.
Turkey's geographically central location and the hospitable character
of the Turkish people played a decisive role in this unique approach.
Since the beginning of the brutal attacks of the Bashar al-Assad
regime against its own citizens in 2011, Turkey did not spare her
hand of support to the Syrian people.
The extent of this humanitarian assistance deserves more light.
In the last three years, the humanitarian assistance Turkey has
extended to Syrian civilian refugees has surpassed $3 billion.
Except for approximately $150 million delivered by the international
community, this amount was provided from the state budget as well as
by Turkish taxpayers.
According to the records of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, as of June 2014, there were 223,471 Syrian people sheltered
at 22 protection centers, established as state-of-the-art facilities.
More than half a million Syrians have also been registered as urban
refugees in various Turkish cities.
In other words, Turkey has been facing up to the obligation of
sustaining the livelihood of a population more than that of Brampton,
for the last three years.
To give a sense of the dimension of the dramatic realities on the
ground, let the figures speak for themselves:
To date, approximately 70,000 Syrian children have been provided
primary and secondary education inside and outside the camps.
Nearly 50,000 medical operations and three million medical examinations
have been conducted by Turkish hospitals and medical staff.
More than 7,000 vocational programs in various fields were provided
to Syrian women, equipping them with lifetime skills.
Last but not least, more than 12,000 Syrian babies were born in the
refugee camps under Turkish medical care.
Not only the Syrian Muslim people, but also the Armenians in Syria
who preferred to leave their country in the face of life-threatening
risks, were helped by the Turkish authorities.
Despite the increasing numbers and needs of sheltered people in
Turkey, in parallel with the deteriorating situation in Syria, it is
no secret that the financial burden on the shoulders of Turkey has
not been sufficiently shared by the international community.
We believe it is high time for all nations around the globe to
translate their rhetoric of support into material support, because
in these historical test cases for humanity, actions speaks louder
than words.
That said, no matter what the amount of international assistance
given to Turkey in this noble cause, the government of the Republic
of Turkey is determined to maintain its "open door policy" to those
persecuted by the Assad regime forces and its collaborators, and to
continue writing the humanitarian success story of the 21st century.
-- Guney is the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Toronto
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/09/help-turkey-care-for-syrias-refugee
From: Baghdasarian