How Give asylum to Ukrainian refugees in the Turkish model

Russia's war in Ukraine has sparked a new refugee crisis in Europe. In just four weeks, about 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country and taken refuge in neighboring countries. Europe is struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. Europe can follow in Turkey's footsteps by handling large numbers of refugees over the next 10 years.

At a time when Turkey has sheltered refugees from the Middle East, including Iraq and Syria, Europe has been cautious about accepting a small number of refugees following its "first-come, first-served" policy. We have so far accommodated about 5 million refugees. Of these, 4 million are from Syria. We have always treated refugees with humanity and respect. The Turkish people welcomed the refugees with open arms and shared their bread with them year after year. In Europe, where many politicians regularly make anti-immigration rhetoric to win the hearts and minds of voters, the Turkish leadership has resisted the efforts of the country's opposition to incite anti-refugee sentiment in the country.

The Turkish government has refused to sacrifice the refugees, citing fears of a terrorist attack. No matter where the refugees come from, they have all found a real refuge in Turkey.

From the very beginning, the Turkish government has been clear about why and how to welcome refugees into its territory. Turkey has always made it clear to its people that the unfortunate people who have left their homeland to seek refuge are not responsible for this war. The people of Turkey also know from the beginning what is happening in Syria.

But how did Turkey do such a great job?

The Turkish government has also given its people an idea of the real situation in Syria from the very beginning. The people there have been informed about the plight of the people. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally briefed the Turkish people on the plight of the Syrian people. Turkey has not discriminated against refugees on its soil. He did not treat any refugee differently on the basis of religion, race, tribe, gender. We welcome all those who have fled Syria with open arms. The Arabs who fled the persecution of Bashar al-Assad, the Kurds who fled for their lives in pursuit of IS, the Turks who fled the persecution by the YPG — whoever they are, all have found refuge in this country with equal dignity.

The way in which European leaders have allowed hard-line right-wing and anti-refugee movements to take root in their countries and indirectly help build anti-refugee public opinion in their countries, Turkish leaders have not. On the contrary, Turkey has cracked down on such movements in order to prevent any kind of anti-refugee propaganda. Our government has always kept in mind that in order to have a successful refugee policy, there must be a clear idea between the government and the people about refugees. Nothing can be made public about refugees.

In addition, NGOs need to be included in the formulation of refugee policy. Turkey has been involving NGOs in refugee management since the beginning. As a result, NGOs were able to provide advance assistance to refugees on the Turkish-Syrian border. This significantly reduced the pressure on the state. Second, Turkey has not discriminated against refugees in its territory. He did not treat any refugee differently on the basis of religion, race, tribe, gender. We welcome all those who have fled Syria with open arms. The Arabs who fled the persecution of Bashar al-Assad, the Kurds who fled for their lives in pursuit of IS, the Turks who fled the persecution by the YPG — whoever they are, all have found refuge in this country with equal dignity. We treat all victims of conflict the same, regardless of their race, religious beliefs or background. We realized that it would be morally reprehensible for refugees to be selected according to their religion or skin color. We also understand that such discriminatory asylum policies can provoke a destructive wave of xenophobia and racism in any country. Today, sadly, some European countries have fallen into this trap and are accepting refugees from Ukraine on the basis of their appearance and skin color. The cultural affiliation of the victims of a major military conflict should never be the basis for formulating a refugee policy. Third, international solidarity is needed to succeed in refugee management. If all parties share the responsibilities little by little, it does not become a burden for any single country. But Turkey has never received international assistance in this regard. It would not be right for the West to make such a mistake on the Ukraine issue. In this case, we have to cooperate with each other.