Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given messages to the world on the occasion of World Refugee Day, highlighting Türkiye's approach will always be "protecting human life and dignity together with the security of the country."
"Türkiye, which always fulfills its duty of humanity and neighborliness, is working to facilitate the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees to their homeland, a necessary step to take," he said.
"People in different parts of the world, including the geography our country is in, are forced to migrate due to reasons such as terrorism, conflict, civil war, hunger, and famine."
The Turkish president emphasised that his nation has stood by those fleeing persecution without any discrimination for centuries.
"Our approach to the issue of irregular migration and refugees, which constitutes a global challenge, is to protect human life and dignity together with the security of our country. Our nation, which has been taking care of those fleeing from persecution without making any distinction for centuries, has once again demonstrated the same conscientious stance in the face of crises in our region, from Syria to Ukraine," Erdogan said.
The president underscored his country's approach to irregular migration and refugees as a global challenge.
"We reject hate speech against refugees, the spread of Neo-Nazi ideology, and Islamophobia and xenophobia, which take root in Western countries and then spread to other societies like a poisonous vine. We consider these pathological trends that do not consider anyone who is different in terms of race, culture, or belief as a threat to humanitarian values and the common future of humanity."
'We call on all parties to make more efforts'
Highlighting the impact of a colonial mindset, President Erdogan pointed out the Mediterranean's transformation into a massive graveyard for refugees in recent years.
"The arrogant mindset with roots going back to colonialism has had a significant impact on the Mediterranean, which has been the cradle of civilisations throughout history, turning into a massive graveyard for refugees in recent years."
"The humanitarian tragedy that occurred last week in the Aegean Sea, where hundreds of innocent people, most of them children, lost their lives in plain sight, is the most recent and shameful example of this."
He emphasised the significance of the Global Compact on Refugees, adopted in December 2018 with Türkiye's active contributions, in resolving the refugee issue. He called on all relevant parties to redouble their efforts in implementing the Compact and fulfilling their obligations.
"The international community, especially countries that lecture others about human rights and democracy, must now assume responsibility. The refugee issue can be resolved by eliminating the root causes of migration and forced displacement. The success and implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees are crucial in this regard," the president said.
"We call on all relevant parties to make more efforts in both the implementation of the Compact and compliance with the obligations."
President Erdogan concluded his message by expressing hope that World Refugee Day would contribute to resolving the challenges faced by refugees worldwide.
"With these observations and wishes, I hope that World Refugee Day will contribute to creating global awareness, preventing new tragedies, and solving the problems of all refugees struggling for survival in different corners of the world."
