Chris Cooter visits Turkey's Hatay
The rest of the world owes Turkey a “debt”, for hosting Syrian refugees, the Canadian ambassador to Turkey said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, Chris Cooter praised Turkey for its “admirable” acceptance of 3.5 million Syrian refugees.
“You’re integrating people, you’re giving them a chance, you’re giving them hope,” he said.
Turkey has accepted a “huge burden”, according to Cooter, who added that Canada shares the country's approach “towards people who have lost everything”.
Having accepted 50,000-60,000 Syrian refugees so far, he added that they “continue to be very welcome in Canada”.
The Assad regime and allied terrorist groups have continued shelling the Idlib de-escalation zone, killing one civilian and injuring three others on Thursday, the White Helmets civil-defense agency said.The regime and Iran-backed terrorist groups have recently fired more than 100 artillery barrages into the Kafr Hamrah and Rashedeen regions, both of which are located within the de-escalation zone, the parameters of which were laid down in a Sept. 17 agreement between Turkey and Russia.The National Liberation Front, an umbrella group of opposition movements based in the region, has attempted to counter the attacks by striking regime forces deployed in central Aleppo.Amir al-Haj, director of the White Helmets’ Aleppo chapter, told Anadolu Agency that at least one civilian had been killed -- and three more injured -- in overnight raids by the regime and its allies.Turkish envoy hails Canada for hosting Syrian refugeesDespite the Sept. 17 agreement (signed in the Russian resort city of Sochi), regime forces have also continued to target rural areas of Latakia province, southern Idlib, western Aleppo and northern and western Hama.In line with the Sochi deal, opposition groups withdrew their heavy weaponry from specified regions of Idlib earlier this month.The regime appears to have stepped up its attacks ahead of an upcoming quadrilateral Syria summit to be held in Istanbul this Saturday.US-led coalition strikes mosque, kills 7 in east SyriaIt is expected that the German, French and Russian heads of state will attend the high-profile event.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Since then, tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict while millions more have been forced to flee their homes.Video: Young girl pulled from rubble in SyriaKremlin alarmed by report that US led drone attack on Russian base in Syria
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Turkey’s ambassador to Ottawa praised Canada’s role in hosting Syrian refugees while saying many other countries have failed to respond to take similar steps. In his article he wrote for the Canadian newspaper The Hill Times, Selcuk Unal said Turkey’s open-door policy would continue for refugees fleeing their homes for various reasons including violence.Unal emphasized that the Turkish people had welcomed migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with "tolerance and hospitality" throughout history, including Crimean Tatars, Poles, Swedes, Hungarians, Russians, Jews escaping from Inquisition or Nazi Germany, Afghans, Bosnians, Kosovars, Macedonians, Iraqis and Syrians.“Those people belonged to many different ethnic and religious backgrounds; yet one thing they all shared was the trust they had for Turkey: a safe harbor,” he added.US-led coalition strikes mosque, kills 7 in east SyriaHaving accepted more than 50,000 refugees from Syria while other countries were “sitting on the fences”, Unal said Canada is one of the few countries who should be thanked in this regard.“In that respect, like Canada, Turkey has become home to many peoples from different cultures living in harmony,” he said.Underlining Turkey’s role as the largest refugee-hosting country in the world with nearly 4 million refugees from Syria and Iraq, Unal said Turkey was “shouldering more than its fair share” of responsibilities with almost $32 billion of expenditures so far.Kremlin alarmed by report that US led drone attack on Russian base in Syria“The two NATO Allies could have more avenues not only to meet needs, but to effectively reduce risks and vulnerabilities over time as well as to work on the humanitarian crises the humanity will be facing,” he added.Turkey hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world. The country has spent more than $32 billion from its own national resources for helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Japanese hostage returns home after three years in Syrian 'hell'
Turkish envoy hails Canada for hosting Syrian refugees
Turkey hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world. The country has spent more than $32 billion from its own national resources for helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
Cooter expressed hope that the cooperation of 50-60 years between the two NATO allies could continue in the future.
He added that the trade volume exceeding $3 billion would increase with ongoing efforts to organize meetings between Canadian and Turkish businesspeople.