Turkey will not serve as a refugee camp or border guard for any other nation and under no circumstances will it take on the international obligations of third countries, the country’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
The statement came after U.K. news reports claimed that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, one of the candidates for the office of the prime minister, may demand an agreement with Turkey similar to the agreement arranged with Rwanda on asylum partnership.
Responding to the news reports, Tanju Bilgiç, the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, said: “We hope that these claims that were published in reference to Ms. Truss are baseless.”
In April, the United Kingdom and Rwanda reached a 120 million pound ($142 million) deal that would see asylum-seekers attempting to enter the U.K. being sent to the East African country for resettlement.
Bilgiç said in a statement that Turkey has already been hosting the largest number of refugees in the world for the last eight years.
“It is therefore out of question for Turkey to shoulder more burden or to be a part of an initiative, at third countries’ request, that does not comply with international regulations on right to asylum,” he said, adding: “Besides, we had already shared our position publicly last year following similar news published on Afghan refugees.”
“Accordingly, we invite all countries to fulfill their international obligations and assume equal responsibility on migration issues,” Bilgiç said.
Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution in their countries.
It already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.