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Turkey says can't cope with growing refugee problems further

Wednesday, 18 September 2019 10:17 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 18 September 2019 10:17 PM ]

Rahshan Saglam
Press TV, Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey can no longer cope with the growing refugee problems and vowed to go ahead with his country’s plan for creating a safe zone in Syria.

Erdogan added Ankara would act on its own if the zone, planned jointly with the United States in Syria’s northeast, bears no results.

European states said earlier that they have helped Turkey financially, however Turkey’s refugee crisis seem to be related to its internal issues.

On August 7th, Turkey and the United states agreed to set up a safe zone to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees. They have established a joint coordination center in Akcakale district of the border province of Sanliurfa and carried out a ground patrolling mission as well as five reconnaissance flights in the region. However, there is still no clarity on the depth of the zone and by whom it will be controlled. Turkey presses on the US that the enclave should be 30 kilometers deep in Syria.

After eight years of hosting Syrian refugees, Turkey now view them as a burden on its domestic and foreign policy. Some observers blame the open door policy for the deteriorating economy and loss of AKP in the last election.

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