Turkey's contribution to European security 'invaluable'

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Despite Turkey’s vast contributions to Europe’s security, including through helping stem and shelter a wave of migration, the expected help from European countries has failed to materialize, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"We have made invaluable contributions to the security of the entire European continent, particularly to the Balkan countries. However, we did not see the support and humanitarian attitude that we expect from our European friends during this difficult time," Erdogan told a summit in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Erdogan made the remarks at the South East European Countries Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in the capital Sarajevo, where stability and security and cooperation among the Balkans were discussed.

He said the region faces a wave of irregular migration from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and North Africa.

"Even while European countries can’t reach agreement on refugee quotas, Turkey now hosts more than 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians," Erdogan said.

He added Turkey has spent over $37 billion for the Syrians alone.

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected brutality.

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