Over 68,000 Ukrainians take refuge in Turkiye: UN refugee agency

By Melike Keskin

KONYA, Turkiye (AA) – As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, more than 68,000 Ukrainians have fled to Turkiye, an official of the UN refugee agency has said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency after a recent event in the central Konya province, UNHCR Turkiye representative Philippe Leclerc said the agency is dealing with the "ever-rising number of refugees" all over the world.

Today, there are more than 30 million refugees, and 90 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the globe, Leclerc said.

Those fleeing war and persecution need "protection, permits to stay, schooling for their children, and medical assistance," he said, adding they also need to learn skills to become self-reliant.

"This is the policy the Turkish government has been following for more than 11 years for up to 3.8 million Syrians who live in the 81 provinces of Turkey," he said, adding that the UN agency supports Turkiye's inclusive policy.

Saying that more than 68,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Turkiye since the start of the war on Feb. 24, Leclerc said the number of refugees is increasing every day due to the ongoing war.

The West has imposed an array of sanctions on Russia following its war on Ukraine, which has led to an exodus of millions of people seeking safety in other European countries. Poland has hosted the most refugees.

Calling the situation "a fast tragedy," the UNHCR official hoped for peace so that no more people cross borders, and refugees can go back and reconstruct their country.

Commenting on the Syrian crisis, Leclerc said the cooperation between Ankara and the UN agency is "very important.” Turkiye is the largest host country for Syrian refugees.

The Turkish government has been carrying out some activities that the agency was doing in the past such as registration of refugees and migration management, he added.

Syria has been in civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

According to the official numbers of the UN, over 350,000 people lost their lives to the conflict but human rights groups estimate the death toll to be between 500,000-600,000.

Over 14 million had to flee their homes, becoming refugees or internally displaced, according to the EU.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara