Despite Turkey’s sizable contribution to European security, including sheltering a wave of migrants, the anticipated support from European countries has not materialized, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday, according to the Hürriyet Daily News.
“We have made invaluable contributions to the security of the entire European continent, particularly to the Balkan countries. However, we did not see the support and humanitarian attitude that we expected from our European friends during this difficult time,” Erdoğan told a summit in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Erdoğan made the remarks at the South East European Countries Cooperation Process Summit (SEECP) in the capital of Sarajevo, where stability, security and cooperation among Balkan countries were discussed.
He said the region faces a wave of irregular migration from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa.
“Even while European countries can’t reach agreement on refugee quotas, Turkey now hosts more than 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians,” Erdoğan said.
He added that Turkey has spent over $37 billion for the Syrians alone.
Syria has been mired in a devastating conflict since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected brutality.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.