Turkey slams false claims that it sends Syrian refugees back

Ankara, (IINA) - Turkey vigorously denied on Sunday claims saying that Syrian refugees are being forcibly returned to their country, Anadolu Agency reported.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that claims by Amnesty International about the repatriation of Syrian refugees that were repeated by various press organs in recent days are wholly untrue. It stated that Turkey has been applying an "open-door" policy for Syrians fleeing the civil war for more than five years and that the country meticulously respects the principle of non-refoulement under its international obligations.
Non-refoulement is an international legal principle, which forbids the rendering of victims of persecution to their persecutors.
The statement added that Turkey hosts at least 2.7 million Syrians and provides 270,000 Syrians in 26 provisional accommodation centers with food, health, and education services as well as psychological support, vocational education, and social activities.
Meanwhile, Syrians living outside these centers benefit from health and education services free of charge, said the ministry. In addition, Turkey has cleared the way for Syrians to get work permits in January.
"Turkey is the largest refugee-hosting country in the world, and this obviously shows that Turkey respects the 'non-refoulement' principle meticulously", said the statement, adding Syrians are neither encouraged nor obliged to return.
Turkey is determined to provide Syrians fleeing violence and instability in their country with security, said the ministry.
Syria has remained locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
AG/IINA

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