If the source of migration is not tackled, it will continue to pose a problem for the international community, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Sunday.
“There are reasons for migration. Proxy wars, poverty, education, health, food, civil wars ... This will not end. Migration is not a border security issue, it is resolved at the source,” Soylu said on CNN Turk.
Soylu added that Türkiye also takes measures at its borders as the country has currently 1,090 kilometers (677 miles) of walls, 341 optic towers and night-vision cameras.
On the other side, the minister also attended an event held in the capital Ankara to mark International Migrants Day, observed globally on Dec. 18.
"Migration has not ruined any country. On the contrary, it has enriched them ... We are doing our part and will continue to do so," Soylu said.
Every single migrant has a story, said Soylu, adding: "We must show the world that money, power and wealth are not everything."
As long as they are in Türkiye, our institutions will do their best to ensure that migrants are helped in adapting to our customs, rules and laws, the minister added.
According to official figures, Türkiye hosts over 5 million migrants from 190 different backgrounds, frequently urging the international community to take concrete steps to tackle the global migration crisis.
It's been more than 10 years since the first group of Syrian refugees, consisting of 250 people, entered Türkiye, starting their new lives in the country after fleeing the war and persecution of the Bashar Assad regime.
Now, Türkiye hosts more Syrian migrants than any other country in the world. The country also leads humanitarian aid efforts for Syrians in Türkiye and opposition-controlled areas of northern Syria, including the building of hospitals, schools and briquette houses, while making large investments in social cohesion policies to help them integrate into society smoothly.
