UNGA head to visit refugee camps in Turkey

ANKARA

Volkan Bozkır, The Turkish diplomat heading the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said on March 31 that he will depart on his first official trip since taking office to visit Turkey, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

He said his stops will include Hatay in Turkey where he will meet Syrian refugees and visit the U.N. cross-border humanitarian mechanism.

Bozkır’s visit comes upon the invitation of Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said, adding that Bozkır will also meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop.
“Bozkır will also visit the U.N. cross-border humanitarian operations conducted from Turkey to northwest Syria as well as a temporary protection center in Hatay on 10 April 2021,” the statement said.

Bozkır, who is the president of the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly said his remarks will address the current international context – with a focus on global crisis emergencies. He is the first Turk to head the UNGA. He will hold the post for one year.

Refugees from Syria account for about 4.29 percent of the total population, and Turkey hosts the largest refugee population from Syria in the world, something Ankara repeatedly boasts about.

Ankara also criticized the international community for not funneling sufficient humanitarian aid for refugees in Turkey and not taking in more refugees.

Currently, 227,947 Syrians live in camps in 10 Turkish provinces, according to the data by the state-run Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).