Syrian refugees pass 170,000 mark, says deputy premier

Syrian refugees pass 170,000 mark, says deputy premier

Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay said that the number of Syrians in Turkey’s refugee camps had passed 170,000 and the total number of Syrian refugees in the country was 250,000, while claiming the international community was not supporting Turkey enough on the issue.

“171,000 Syrians are residing in the refugee camps, while there are at least 80,000 refugees living in nearby cities other than the camps,” Atalay said before attending a meeting on the Syria issue in Ankara.
He also said Turkey was getting insufficient support from the international community regarding the issue.

 “Turkey is carrying almost the entire burden. Neither the U.N. nor other international institutions or states have supported Turkey very much in this matter,” Atalay said. “The Higher Education Board has accepted university students who have fled Syria into Turkish universities, while recent legislation also allows Syrians to be treated free of charge in public hospitals in Turkey,” he added.