Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 18th, 2012

[Gulcan Akoguz]

I think it was on the table, but it couldn't pass. The regime might also continue using it as well. The Syrians have their own rights within their borders.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

I understand; what I'm suggesting is—

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

We don't have time. We'll have to pick up that line of questioning afterwards.

Mr. Eyking, sir, you have seven minutes.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Thank you, Chair.

And thank you for coming.

Turkey's position in the world geographically seems to always get in the middle of things. It's not their fault; it's just the way it is. So we commend your government on how they're dealing with another conflict.

You alluded to refugees—how many are there now? What are your estimates of how many refugees are going to be in your country by the end of the year?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

Two days ago the number of Syrians taking refuge in Turkey passed 100,000. Yesterday's number was 101,000 refugees taking shelter in Turkey. Since the beginning of the conflict we have housed 144,000 refugees; 40,000 of them returned to Syrian. They can't come and go.

We have built 14 camps to shelter the refugees and we have spent around $40 million U.S. for the camps. It's a huge burden on our part. We keep our borders open for Syrians, and we also follow the principle of no rejection at the border, so we are trying to help whoever is willing to come. But building the camps takes time, and the people who want to come to Turkish territory to take shelter is increasing very quickly.

The UNHCR is also trying to provide people with shelter and food on the other side, in Syria.

There has to be a way to try to help the Syrians within their own territory, but they continue to come to Turkey. Now we have 14 camps and we are building two more.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Is Canada helping you with any of this?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

Not yet. I think Canada is providing help through Jordan, or the Red Cross, or maybe through Lebanon as well.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Could you use some help from Canada?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

Yes, of course. Our minister also had a meeting under the auspices of the UN and asked for international help. It's way beyond—we need to spend a lot of—

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Is that what you mean by the corridor where the refugees are going back and forth? Is that what they mean by a safe zone or a corridor? Is that what's there now, or is that what you were thinking of having?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

No. The UN or international community should find a way to help the Syrian people within their own territory, so that they do not become international displaced persons. They shouldn't need to find refuge in neighbouring countries. A solution should be found within their own territory. At the moment, they do not have that, so they try to cross the border to find shelter.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

On the conflict that happened at the border—the shelling—some would say maybe it was a mistake and some would say there were enemies of Syria in Turkey. There are all kinds of stories around. At the end of the day, somebody attacked Turkey, and you have a right to defend yourselves. You are part of the NATO group, so that makes it all bigger. I am encouraged that the leader of Russia is coming to your country. I think that's very important to simmer everybody down here a bit.

Do you have any concerns? What is your concern of this becoming a bigger conflict? What is your feeling about the NATO negotiations right now? Do you feel everything has kind of simmered down at the moment, and with Putin coming there could be better things on the horizon? Or do you sense that this is still going to be a slippery slope?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

It's a slippery slope, as you said, but Turkey has no intention of going to war, as well as NATO. As you said, those shellings—they began on the 20th, actually. They continued on the 21st and the 23rd. We doubt that all of them were mistakes. In the end, it killed five of our citizens. We inspected the artillery shells that fell on Turkish soil. There's no way they can belong to the opposition. We are certain they belong to the Syrian regime.

In line with international law and our responsibility to protect our own citizens, the Turkish military attacked the point that the artillery shells were coming from. After that, it was stopped. We think it clearly shows that it was the Syrian regime forces. We informed NATO before and after the Turkish intervention into Syria. All NATO members voiced support. They expressed their condolences for the families.

We will see what will come up, but Turkey has no intention of going to war.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

What do the people of Turkey feel? I'm guessing there are relatives in Syria—I assume. These lines were just done 100 years ago, so there must be religious connections. What is their sense? I guess they are sensing anger a bit with the shelling. Are they very uneasy? What is the sense from your people?

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Mr. Eyking, that's all the time.

Once again, I will ask you to finish the question, though.

[Gulcan Akoguz]

Before 1998, Turkey had problems with Syria. Our relations were problematic because of their support of the terrorist group, the PKK. After 2000, when Bashar al-Assad came to power, the relations began to develop rapidly. In 2000, we had bilateral trade reaching near $2.5 billion. We had investments in Syria. We have relatives. People went back and forth. We had a visa exemption with Syria. In 2009, we held a meeting just at the border with two prime ministers and 10 ministers.

After the Arab Spring began, the Assad regime stopped responding to the needs of its own people. It became a human tragedy, which also became a humanitarian tragedy.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

That's all the time we have.

This next round will be five minutes, and we'll start with Ms. Brown.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Ms. Akoguz, for being here this morning.

I want to follow up on the humanitarian situation particularly. I think it's important that I follow up on something Mr. Eyking talked about in his questions, when he was asking whether or not Turkey could use the assistance of Canada. I don't believe Turkey has ever asked for assistance from Canada, as far as humanitarian assistance is concerned.

I do want to commend Turkey for the things they've undertaken on behalf of the displaced people who are finding their way into Turkey. You have been absolutely stellar in the work you've done as a country to take people in, to assist, and to ensure that they have a place to live. So thank you, and our compliments to your country.

I do want to talk about the humanitarian assistance. Canada has given about $12 million so far in assistance to Syria. That money has gone to the International Committee of the Red Cross or to the World Food Programme, to ensure that people are getting the assistance they need in food reserves.

Does Turkey have anybody involved in the Red Crescent committee, and are they working within Syria to assist the Red Cross there to get food in? Can you tell us what that looks like?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

We are working very closely with UNHCR, and the Turkish Red Crescent is also very much involved. There is also another organization in Turkey that is involved, a government organization, in the distribution of aid that we receive or using our own means. Red Crescent is also involved.

The UN has set up a program for the neighbouring countries receiving Syrian refugees, but it is far less than Turkey has been spending so far.

We didn't specifically ask Canada to help, but we did call on the international community. At first, when the refugees began to take refuge in Turkey, Turkey didn't ask for international help. For the first few weeks, we thought we could handle them within Turkey, but as more and more began to come and the conflict became more serious in Syria, we asked for international help. Our minister also, in international meetings, always gives the number of camps that we need to build and he explains the humanitarian situation within Turkey as well.

So we have asked...and we are sharing information. UNHCR is on the ground as well in Turkey, in the camps, and they are controlling everything there as well.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Can you tell us, if anything, what you've heard from the people on the ground who are looking to get into Syria with the Red Crescent? Have they commented on whether or not there has been access to assist the people in Syria?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

They are providing food and other necessary materials to people inside Syria as well, at zero point. We cannot go inside Syria, but we are continuously building.... We now have the 14th camp and 101,000 Syrians seeking refuge in Turkey. Actually, they do not have refugee status, but they have temporary protection in Turkey. We cannot host everyone who is coming to Turkey, but they are coming in large numbers, so we are trying to provide food and other materials at zero point to the people in Syria who do not enter into Turkey.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

You talked very briefly—

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

I'm sorry, that's all the time we have in this round. We'll have to pick it up during the next one.

I'm going to turn it over to the NDP, to Madame Laverdière.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much for being here this morning.

I would like to expand a little bit on the humanitarian situation. First, I think you said that Turkey had officially asked the international community to help with welcoming....

Well, “welcoming”; I'm sorry, my English is failing me now.

So I was talking about welcoming the people from Syria.

I'll go back to English now, don't worry; it was just that one word.

Through which channel was your appeal made?

[Gulcan Akoguz]

Our minister made a statement, a call to the international community, actually, I believe in April. In all his international conferences and his meetings with his counterparts, he voices and explains the situation in Turkey and asks for help as well.