ANKARA (Sputnik) – Amnesty International said in a report released on Friday that groups of Syrian refugees, including children and women, had been forcibly and illegally rounded up and expelled to Syria by the Turkish authorities since mid-January.
"In recent days, some media outlets, as well as the organization, Amnesty International, have spread information that the Syrian refugees are forcibly deported from Turkey to their homeland. These allegations are untrue. Turkey has been carrying out an open door policy for refugees for five years already and is not sending them back. There is no change here," the ministry said in a statement.
The country has already provided shelter to more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees, it stressed.
A total of 270,000 Syrians receive food, education, health care and psychological support in 26 camps for the temporary accommodation of refugees in 10 Turkish provinces, the Foreign Ministry noted.
"Turkey is a country that hosts the world’s largest number of refugees. It is a clear indication that Turkey does not promote their return to Syria," the statement outlined.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting several opposition factions and militant organizations. The crisis has caused a humanitarian disaster making millions of people flee their country.
