Selangor Journal

TURKEY’S MILITARY OPERATIONS HELP 310,000 SYRIANS RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY

Photo taken from Dost Beykoz

KUALA LUMPUR – Turkey’s military operations at its border with Syria are part of its humanitarian approach that has so far saw over 310,000 Syrians successfully returned to their country, said Dr Merve Safa Kavakci.

The Turkish Ambassador to Malaysia said as over 3.6 million “guests” or displaced persons in Turkey were mostly from Syria, it became part of Turkey’s responsibility to create sustainability and ensure a safe passage home for them.

“The issue is not to host them as your guest alone…but to provide them with education, security, healthcare like the rest of your people, as well as to make sure that these guests, who are looking forward to go back to their home, have their home to return to,” she said at a lecture here Monday.

Creating sustainability and not dependency is the true meaning of humanitarian approach, she noted.

Turkey has carried out two cross-border operations — Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch — to clear the area of terrorist organisations such as the YPG and Daesh.

The lecture, ‘Paradigm Shift in Foreign Policy: Humanitarian Approach’ was part of the Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS) Global Dialogue, organised by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The lecture showcased the Turkish perspective on dealing with international humanitarian issues that reflect complex humanitarian crises faced by the world today that force governments to rethink the way humanitarian needs are approached.

The event was officiated by UTM Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar, and was attended by over 300 people.

The AHIBS Global Dialogue is an initiative aligned with the UTM Global Plan 2012-2020 that is designed to strengthen the University as a global and renowned institution and has previously featured the Ambassadors of Hungary, Denmark and Gambia, as well as the High Commissioner of Pakistan.

Kavakci said Turkey’s foreign policy in humanitarian approach, which started in the 2000s, enables the government to not only take care of its people but also extend a helping hand to others in need with the realisation that “every lives matter”.

But the ambassador noted that the humanitarian approach of Turkey is an ongoing process and is not an easy task.

“The EU (European Union) has promised to help out with a 3-plus-3 billion Euros but that promise was not fully fulfilled. Only 1.75 billion Euros was given. The rest never came. UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) gave US$750 million. Turkey spent US$35 billion,” the ambassador said.

Kavakci said that according to Global Humanitarian Assistance’s report, Turkey is the largest donor in the world with US$8 billion last year, followed by the world’s largest economy, the US (US$6.68 billion), and Germany (US$2.98 billion).

“A life in Kuala Lumpur matters as much as a life in Madrid or Turkey. It’s important that you recognise that the world matters more than 5 (United Nations’ permanent five Security Council members – the US, China, Britain, Russia and France). All countries matter, and all problems are worth paying attention to,” she said, ending her talk.

-BERNAMA

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