TRT Digital Debates focus on Syrian refugees

By Gokhan Varan

ANKARA (AA) - TRT World Forum's Digital Debates on Thursday held a discussion to mark the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Speaking at the forum, Hasiba Ammar, operational manager for Istanbul-based non-profit organization Rizk Professional Development, said that every single issue of Syrian refugees is important, but employment tops the list.

Being one of the Syrians who took shelter in Turkey, physician Ammar said after their arrival they decided to learn the Turkish language to integrate in the society.

"We choose life and we have to live it properly."

Speaking on a project initiated by their association, Ammar said that they are providing many services for the economic empowerment of Syrian refugees.

"We concentrate on employment and vocational training for Syrian refugees. Actually, until today we have registered more than 53,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey. We have provided more than 5,000 vocational training as trainers," she said.

She added that they have hired 20,000 people.

Ammar noted that an organization called the Syrian Forum supports their project and helps it grow.

The discussion, 10 Years On: Syrian Refugees in Turkey, was broadcast live on TRT World Forum’s Instagram account @trtworldforum.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.

Turkey hosts more than 3.6 million refugees -- more than any country in the world.