Turkey lashes out at U. N. demands to open border
KILIS, Turkey — Turkey’s leaders on Wednesday lashed out at the United Nations and others who are pressing the country to open its borders to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing them of failing to shoulder the responsibility or to stop Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus.
The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian- backed Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border.
Turkey, already home to about 3 million refugees — including more than 2.5 million Syrians — is providing assistance to the new wave of refugees at displaced persons camps on the Syrian side of the border. It has kept a key border crossing for refugees closed, prompting the U. N. High Commissioner for Refugees on Tuesday to call on Turkey to admit “all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis.”
At a news conference with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu labeled the U. N. Security Council and the international community as “twofaced” for telling Turkey to open its borders while not moving “a finger to solve the Syria crisis” or to stop the Russian bombardments.
Davutoglu also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who don’t support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Earlier in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United Nations had provided $ 455 million to Turkey compared with the $ 10 billion Turkey had spent on the refugees since 2011.
“What does the U. N. say? ‘ Open your border to the refugees.’ What are you for then? What is your use? Is it that easy?” Erdogan asked. “We have taken 3 million Syrians and Iraqis into our home until now. How many did you take? Which country took them in?”