Turkish leader seeks 'honorable' treatment for refugees

ANKARA (AA) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged the international community to ensure an “honorable” life for refugees suffering xenophobia and discrimination across the world.

In a statement released for World Refugee Day, Erdogan said such an honorable life "is the political and moral responsibility of the international community”.

"Otherwise, the efforts of Turkey with a few countries will not be enough for a solution to the [refugee] issue," he added.

Erdogan said Turkey continually took action, in contrast to the international community's inaction, hosting more than three million refugees and making sacrifices to provide them with a decent life.

"I hope World Refugee Day reminds the international community of its responsibilities and the conscientious values it should have," the president said.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey was a hope for oppressed people and vowed the country would not turn a deaf ear in the face of screams.

"We did not ask those who wanted a hand from us their language, religion or race; we extended our hand. Today and tomorrow as well, we will stand beside them," Yildirim wrote on his Twitter account.

A record 65.3 million people around the world were displaced by war and persecution in 2015, the UN’s refugee agency said Monday.

Of these, nearly a third - 21.3 million people - were forced to seek sanctuary abroad.