Turkey Will Not Assume Obligations Of Third Countries On Refugees - Foreign Ministry

Turkey will not be a refugee camp and will not assume the international obligations of third countries, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic told Sputnik on Saturday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2022) Turkey will not be a refugee camp and will not assume the international obligations of third countries, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic told Sputnik on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the Times reported that UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a private meeting with lawmakers that she wants to expand the agreement with Rwanda to address the migration crisis and intends to start negotiations with Turkey on this issue.

"We hope that these allegations in the media about Truss are unfounded. It is out of the question that our country, which received the largest number of refugees in the world in 8 years, will take on a greater burden at the request of third countries and, in addition, take part in an approach that is incompatible with international rules on the right to asylum. Turkey will not be a refugee camp for any country, and will not assume the international obligations of third countries," Bilgic said in a statement.

Turkey calls on all countries to fulfill their international obligations and take equal responsibility for migration, Bilgic added.

The United Kingdom and Rwanda signed a migration agreement in mid-April, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for processing of documents, obtaining asylum, and relocation. The first flight with illegal migrants aboard was scheduled for June 14, but it did not take place as the European Court of Human Rights granted a last-minute appeal to all the asylum seekers on board the day before. The court expressed fear that asylum seekers transferred to Rwanda would not have access to fair and efficient procedures for the determination of refugee status.