58,000 Ukrainians fleeing war have taken shelter in Turkiye: Minister

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) – Tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war on their country have taken shelter in Turkiye, the world’s top refugee-hosting country, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Monday.

Speaking during a live broadcast on TV NET, Soylu said 58,000 Ukrainians had arrived in Turkiye since the start of the conflict and his country had never discriminated against refugees based on their country of origin or ethnicity.

He noted that Turkiye hosts some 3.75 million Syrian refugees and the government’s perspective on the issue of migration was different than that of Europe’s, adding Turkiye sought to improve the region’s prosperity with cross-border operations in Syria and migration could not be slowed down as long as peace was not established in the region.

Russia's war against Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been roundly denounced by the international community and has been met with biting Western and allied sanctions and export controls. The economic fallout has been exacerbated by an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 925 civilians have been killed during the war and 1,496 have been injured, according to the UN's tally.

The international body warns, however, that the true toll is "considerably higher."

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas