Swedish minister praises Turkey’s effort to aid Syrians

Erik Ullenhag opens honorary Swedish consulate in Turkish province of Konya.

Swedish minister praises Turkey’s effort to aid Syrians
Sweden’s Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag has praised Turkey’s effort to provide shelter for Syrian refugees who have been forced to flee neighboring countries during the three-year civil war.

Ullenhag's comments came during the opening of an honorary Swedish consulate in Turkey’s central province of Konya, where most Turkish nationals emigrating to Sweden came from.

Ullenhag told the Anadolu Agency: “Turkey is doing an excellent job in humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees.”

He also called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to take action to support Syrian refugees who fled neighboring countries, including Turkey, during the conflict.

Underlining that Turkey is following Sweden’s path in helping Syrian refugees to integrate, Ullenhag said that Turkey should help refugees to learn Turkish and enter the job market.

“Sweden's approach to Turkish immigrants was to teach Swedish, and we got successful results,” he added.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyp Erdogan criticized the international community earlier this week, saying: “Turkey has spent $2.5 billion on Syrian refugees so far while the international community, especially EU countries, have not given significant aid, donating only $250 million.” 

Syria has been gripped by almost constant fighting since the regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict, which has spiraled into a civil war.

More than 6.5 million people internally displaced, according to the UN. Nearly 2.5 million Syrians are also registered as refugees in neighboring countries including Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.
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