Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [이미지출처=EPA연합뉴스]
[아시아경제 부애리 기자] Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that “Turkey has absolutely no obligation to become a safe haven for Afghan refugees.”
President Erdogan said on the 20th that he was concerned about the influx of Afghan refugees into Turkey as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
Turkish media reported that since the end of last month, more than 1,000 Afghan refugees have flowed into Turkey via Iran every day.
“It is our duty to ensure that refugees can return to their homeland safely,” Erdogan said.
He also drew a line against opposition claims that Turkey already hosts 1.5 million Afghan refugees.
Currently, the number of Afghan refugees in Turkey is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000. It is the second largest number in Turkey after Syrian refugees, which number about 3.6 million.
Erdogan said he would be able to “talk to the new government of Afghanistan” and, “if necessary, we will meet with the new government established by the Taliban to discuss the mutual agenda.”
Reporter Aeri Boo aeri345@asiae.co.kr
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