'Turkey show incredible generosity for Syrian refugees'

By Muzaffer Cagliyaner and Tugcenur Yilmaz

OSMANIYE, Turkey (AA) - Turkey showed an “incredible generosity” for the Syrians in the country, according to a representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“In our opinion, Turkey show this incredible generosity towards Syrian refugees and we all know that Turkey is hosting more than 3.5 million refugees in the country,” Viorel Gutu, FAO representative in Turkey, told Anadolu Agency.

“This is the highest number of the refugees hosted by any country,” Gutu added.

Stating that the FAO also wanted to be a part of it by assisting the Turkish government in efforts to accommodate refugees, he said: “I’m sure that this is very much appreciated by the refugees themselves, and the international community, as well.”

Gutu said that the UN organization and the Turkish government had many years of partnership in different areas, such as agriculture, forestry, food security and climate change.

“We create programs together. We implement programs both in and outside of Turkey,” he said.

- Employment of Syrians

Gutu said that the FAO was also providing opportunities for employment of Syrians in fields related to agriculture and forestry.

“Nowadays, we have several projects which focus on vocational training, and talent development of Syrian refugees,” he said, adding that they also provide training for the Turks, who are the host community.

“We managed to build a greenhouse and find opportunities for Syrian refugees to learn, and to work, and also to get food out of their efforts,” he said, referring to the latest FAO-Turkey project for Syrian refugees living in a temporary shelter in southern Osmaniye province.

The project provided the refugees with a 8,000 square meter (around 2 acres) greenhouse, which allow them to grow their own vegetables after the training they got.

“Indeed, this project was implemented with FAO resources and the technical expertise of the organization,” Gutu said.

He added that high level technology, productivity and satisfaction were achieved in the greenhouse.

Fatma Baldirbuyuk, a Syrian refugee who came to Turkey from Lattakia two years ago, told Anadolu Agency that she got greenhouse training.

“I am a housewife and I have not had any job until today. Thanks to this training I have a job now,” she said.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.