Turkey struggles to cope with mounting refugee crisis

Turkey has been confronted by a series of challenges ranging from security problems to financial difficulties due a growing number of refugees there from neighboring countries, experts say.

"This is the problem that Turkey on its own cannot deal with," Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, professor of international relations at Ankara-based Gazi University, told Xinhua, referring to the growing number of refugees in the country.

"It requires a concerted and combined efforts from the international community to handle a problem of this magnitude," he added.

According to Turkish government data, 1.9 million Syrians who fled the conflict in their homeland are living in Turkey. Only a little over quarter a million are sheltered in 25 refugee camps that were set up by the government.

Since the bulk of the refugees are mingled with local population across the country, that has created a resentment among locals who complain about rising crime, soaring cost of living especially home rental prices, and increased burden on health and social safety network in local institutions.

Yet, the Turkish government said it still did not abandon "open door" policy for Syrians but has started to beef up security measures along porous Syrian border, including building a long concrete wall fence for what officials say preventing smuggling and terrorism.

Ankara has also been pushing the United States and its coalition partners that battle with Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq to agree on a safe zone inside Syria to handle further refugees there.

The United States has not agreed to such Turkish request yet, but said the U.S.-led coalition will work with Turkey to clear IS militants from Syrian areas close to the Turkish border, paving the way for establishing a de facto safe zone.

Murtaza Yetis, an advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, announced in border province Hatay this week that the government is working on a safe zone within Syria and plans to deal with further refugee flows from this area.

"For the coming period, there is a study being planned especially on the safe zone," he said, adding that the refugee crisis is being handled in all aspects from the education, employment to the health.

Source: XINUHA