European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the allocation of an additional one billion euros to Turkey to support Syrian refugees.
She made this statement during her visit to Ankara, where she met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Von der Leyen emphasized that Turkey has consistently taken responsibility for hosting millions of Syrian refugees for many years. The EU has supported these efforts, and since 2011, it has allocated nearly 10 billion euros to assist refugees and local communities hosting them.
These funds will be used to improve healthcare and education for refugees in Turkey. They will also be directed towards supporting migration, border management and facilitating the voluntary return of Syrian refugees. We will adapt this aid based on the evolving needs on the ground, including developments in Syria, von der Leyen said.
On December 15, Turkey’s Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, reported the return of more than 7,600 Syrian migrants to their home country after rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Last week, Turkey reopened the “Yayladagi” border crossing with Syria, which had been closed since 2013, to allow millions of Syrian migrants in Turkey to return to their homeland.
