Turkey offers gateway to hope for oppressed

By Seyit Ahmet Aytac

ANKARA (AA) - Conflict, hunger and poverty have seen millions leave their homes over the last year, with the UN’s refugee agency reporting around 65.6 million people displaced at the end of 2016.

Turkey has supported millions of refugees in recent years, particularly those fleeing the war in Syria, for which it has sought no advantage.

This week Prime Minister Binali Yildrim stressed that Turkey did not expect any return from its support for those seeking safety or a better life.

“'We don`t go to those regions with an agenda… We go there because of humanity and brotherhood,” he said. “Turkey will continue to support Rohingya, Syria, Somalia, Palestine and all the oppressed communities across the world.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always been vocal in his and Turkey’s support for the oppressed.

“We love the creation of Allah, for we love the Creator,” he said recently, referring to the long-standing relief provided by Turkey.

According to official statistics, Turkey currently hosts more than 3.4 million Syrians who have fled north since the beginning of the civil war in 2011.

Ankara calculates that it has spent at least $30 billion sheltering and providing for these guests.

After the crisis broke out, Turkey established an open door policy for refugees and welcomed all, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

It has also opened its borders to refugees fleeing conflict zones in Iraq, Somalia and Myanmar in recent years.

Last year, Turkey spent more than $6 billion on humanitarian aid, according to Development Initiatives’ Global Humanitarian Assistance Report, making Turkey the largest donor according to GDP and second only to the U.S. in total funding.

- Rohingya crisis

In Bangladesh, Turkey has been particularly prominent since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims started fleeing a military crackdown in western Myanmar at the end of August.

More than 600,000 have crossed from the western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN, as security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

According to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

In September, First Lady Emine Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited a refugee camp near the Myanmar border and called on the international community to intervene to stop the violence.

Another recent intervention by Turkish aid agencies came in Somalia following a devastating truck bombing in Mogadishu that left more than 300 dead.

Thirty-five Somalis critically injured in the bombing were airlifted to Turkey for treatment following a visit by Health Minister Ahmet Demircan.

However, Turkey has long provided help to the war-torn country, with Erdogan having visited Mogadishu in 2011.

Many of the victims of the Oct. 14 bombing were treated in a joint Somali-Turkish hospital in the capital named after Erdogan.

A number of Turkish charities such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation are among some of the first agencies on the scene in disasters and conflict.

Turkey’s involvement in trouble spots around the world have led many to criticize the West for its perceived inactivity, despite having greater resources.