Turkey to build supply center for Syrian refugees: Deputy PM

ANKARA

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Turkey plans to carry out rehabilitation works in war-torn areas in Syria and will build a logistics warehouse in the Syrian town of al-Rai amid budget difficulties, Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak has said. 

“At zero point between Elbeyli [Turkey] and al-Rai, we are building a logistics center. We have initiated the construction,” Kaynak said in a press conference before an advisory committee meeting of the Presidency of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) on Feb. 15. 

Underlining the need for humanitarian aid, Kaynak said Turkey has already begun infrastructure constructions in the region.

“We are carrying out an infrastructure work in accordance with the national interests of Turkey in order to reach those who are in need,” Kaynak said, adding that the construction work of the building which includes dry food warehouses, cold storage warehouses, ovens and four warehouses began a week ago. 

He stated that they were keen on providing these services in the region despite Turkey’s current financial difficulties, and that around 530,000 people were currently living in dire conditions on an area of 90 kilometers between Jarabulus and Azaz.  

“Turkey first aims to meet the sheltering needs of the people in this region,” Kaynak said.

“In al-Rai, many of the buildings are severely damaged, both the center and village houses were bombed. We want to repair the buildings in al-Rai that can be restored, and re-build the ones that are completely destroyed,” he said.

“Turkey is now determining the needs of this area in the field of agriculture, security, and energy. Of course, these jobs exceed the size of our budget,” he said, urging relevant institutions under TİKA to support.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stressed that Turkey’s total expenditure for refugees was around $25 billion, adding that there were currently 3.5 million refugees and immigrants living in Turkey.

“According to data from AFAD, the total expenditure made by public institutions, non-governmental organizations and for the refugees of the Syrian crisis is $25 billion,” he said at the Migration Board Meeting on Feb. 15.

“While the average number of irregular migrants caught between 2005 and 2014 was around 50,000 per year, this number was 146,485 in 2015 and 174,466 in 2016. In 2017 the number was 10,695 as of Feb. 7,” Soylu added, saying that one of the main problems in the region was “the passage of foreign terrorist fighters.”

“In this context, 52075 people from 145 countries were prohibited from entering Turkey, and 4,369 people from 99 different countries were deported,” he said.

Turkey is currently in works to establish a fingerprint-supported database system to strengthen information database on refugees staying in Turkey under temporary protection, Soylu said.  

“In order to complete the biometric records of the Syrians, a total of 33 mobile registration vehicles, including 11 trucks and 22 minivans were purchased and 150 registration tables were established,” he added.