06 Oct 2021; MEMO: Turkey's presence in Syria's Idlib Governorate saved the lives of millions of civilians and prevented them from becoming displaced, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday.
In an interview with a local magazine, Erdogan added that the international community cannot allow the Syrian crisis to continue more than the 10 years it has already lasted, stressing that there is a need to show a stronger will to find a political solution to the problem based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and in a way that meets the Syrian people's aspirations.
Erdogan said Turkey's priority in Syria is combating terrorism and cleansing the region of "terrorist organisations".
Turkey is home to more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees, who constitute the vast majority of over four million refugees and asylum seekers currently living in the country, making Turkey the world's largest host of refugees, according to the World Bank.
