ANKARA
The head of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres and his special envoy actress Angelina Jolie met with senior Turkish officials in capital Ankara on Friday.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Guterres and Special Envoy Jolie first visited Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin at his office. The gathering was closed to press.
The two representatives later proceeded to the Turkish prime ministry headquarters to hold talks with Deputy Premier Besir Atalay.
Speaking during the visit, Atalay thanked the UNHCR delegation for visiting the camps where Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey currently stayed.
Naming the visit an important opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the ongoing tragedy in Syria, Atalay thanked Guterres and Jolie for their positive comments about the camps in southern province of Kilis.
"We pursue an 'open doors' policy for the refugees coming from Syria and we don't send anybody back," he said.
The deputy premier said efforts were also exerted to offer education and health services for Syrians under the coordination and close cooperation of Turkey, relevant institutions and the UN.
Atalay also thanked Special Envoy Jolie in particular for her involvement in the issue as an "international profile" and for her humanitarian role.
Guterres, in his part, said that he was extremely grateful for Turkey's hospitality.
"The present phase is a much more exciting phase of cooperation between the government of Turkey and the UNHCR which started thanks to you," he said.
Pointing to the assistance Turkey provided to Syrians, Guterres said, "We are extremely grateful for what has been the very generous policy of Turkey of granting them protection, allowing them to cross the border and providing assistance that I could witness is an assistance of high standard."
He also thanked the officials in the camps who displayed efforts to guarantee the levels of assistance for Syrians who had experienced a dramatic situation back in their country.
"So my very deep appreciation for the work that has been done and we know this represents a huge challenge for Turkey. It is not only the impact of refugees themselves, this represents the rupture of important relations with a neighbor," he noted.
The high commissioner also said Turkey's "open doors" policy towards Syrians was important.
UN refugee agency head, special envoy praise Turkey's assistance to Syrians
Guterres and Jolie have praised Turkey's efforts to assist the Syrians who are fleeing the violence in their country.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru, who hosted a banquet in honor of the two representatives prior to the press conference, told reporters that Turkish officials had briefed Guterres and Jolie on Turkey's stance regarding the Syrian refugees and the activities carried out on the issue up until today.
Speaking to the Turkish press, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Guterres thanked Turkey for its assistance to Syrians.
"I would like to express my very deep gratitude and appreciation to the Turkish government and Turkish people for their policy not only to open borders, but to open hearts to the brothers and sisters that come from Syria," he said.
Guterres also pointed to the enormous investment the Turkish government made and the quality of the services provided for the refugees in the camps.
The high commissioner called on the international community to fully support those who were inside Syria under very dramatic circumstances, as well as the Syrian refugees and the host countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq for burden and responsibility sharing.
"Finally an appeal that goes beyond the countries of the region, an appeal to all countries in Europe, in Africa, around the world and also in the region: 'Keep your borders open to the Syrians that are fleeing such a dramatic conflict'," he said.
Jolie: "I am grateful to Turkey"
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie also expressed her appreciation over Turkey's efforts.
"I am very grateful to Turkey and all the countries receiving the refugees and keeping them in safety and doing all that they can for children," she said.
Jolie said she had seen during her visit to the camps that everything was well-organized and officials did their best to assist people in need.
"No one wants to live as a refugee, no one wants to live in a camp. All of these people have lost their homes, they have fled extreme violence, they have lost their families, they are very very emotional. They are very grateful to Turkey, they are very grateful to all the border countries," she said.
Jolie also noted that Syrian refugees knew about the ongoing discussions about the situation in their country, but despite all the news reports, they still felt alone and abandoned.
"I share everyone's concerns about the winter approaching with the violence and the conflict showing no signs of easing up and the number is growing as people are crossing the borders. It is a very large concern for all of us and I hope we can all work together to make sure that nobody freezes to death in this very very frightening time," she said.
"So thank you very much, I look forward to working with all of you here to continue to assist these people. I feel so grateful again to the Turkish government for all that they do," Jolie concluded her speech.
After the press conference, Guterres and Jolie proceeded to the Cankaya Presidential Palace to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
Upon completion of their talks, the two UNHCR representatives departed from Turkey.
