Two Turkeys in the Syria crisis

As Russia and the United States work on formulas as inclusive as possible to find a solution to the Syrian crisis, without letting the Islamist factions take over the entire country, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the European Union on Sept. 28 to do more to confront the migration crisis stemming from the four-year-old Syrian civil war.

In the beginning of his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Ban particularly mentioned Turkey and Jordan as the countries suffering most because of the ?overcrowded? flow of refugees.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu is expected to make the opening speech of a conference on the Syrian refugee crisis to be hosted by Ban on Sept. 30. 

Turkey?s role in handling the refugee crisis ?sets a best practice? according to Helen Clark, the head of the UN Development Programme, who recently paid a visit to refugee camps in Turkey. They are run by government agencies, with very little support from the international community. From its limited resources, with respect to more well-off European and North American countries, Ankara has spent some $7.6 billion in the last four years for Syrian refugees. Some 350,000 Syrian students began their education year together with Turkish students on Sept. 28, according to a special curriculum prepared for them; there are an estimated total of 2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Even Turkey?s main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader, Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, who has slammed the Davuto?lu?s Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) government?s policy on Syria, separates its refugee policy; he has been promoting that part in his recent tour in European countries, urging them to contribute more, just like U.N. secretary-general did yesterday...