US actor praises Turkey’s efforts on refugees

ISTANBUL

American actor and activist Matt Dillon, a guest of the International Migration Film Festival, has praised Turkey’s dedication and efforts towards migrants and refugees.

“Turkey is the country that helps refugees the most, especially those coming from Syria. She did a great job,” Dillon said in an online interview.

Known for his roles in films such as “Rumble Fish,” “Wild Things” and “Factotum,” Dillon became the first Hollywood star to visit the refugee camps in Myanmar’s Rakhine state where Rohingya Muslims lived in 2015.

“When we visited the camps, we saw what happened firsthand. There was great pain,” he said, adding that he wants to visit the world’s largest refugee camp, where more than 600,000 refugees live, in Bangladesh.

The actor, however, said that this visit was not possible at this stage only because of the pandemic.

Dillon, also a member of the board of directors of the International Refugee Organization, pointed out that, if given the chance, refugees want to pay for the aid.

The festival aims to stress that “migration has been a common story experienced by all nations throughout history” and to raise awareness on the issue as well, according to its organizers.

The festival, which is supported by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry and organized by the Interior Ministry, will end on June 21 with a closing ceremony.