Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan discuss Syrians' return

Turkish foreign minister on Dec. 17 discussed the voluntary return of Syrians with his counterparts from Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with Iraq's Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Jordan's Ayman Safadi and Lebanon's Gebran Bassil in Geneva, Switzerland where he attended the three-day Global Refugee Forum.

"Discussed voluntary and safe returns of Syrians w/Mohamed Ali Alhakim FM of #Iraq, @AymanHSafadi FM of #Jordan and @Gebran_Bassil FM of #Lebanon. Our quadripartite cooperation will continue," Çavuşoğlu said in a tweet, with a photo of four diplomats.

UNHCR agrees with Turkey on refugee's voluntary return

The U.N. refugee chief on Dec. 17 said that the UNHCR believes that the return of refugees to Syria can only be voluntary. 

The High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, spoke at a press conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on day two of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, co-chaired by Turkey.

He said the forum with 3,000 participants registered is the biggest event the UNHCR has managed in its history.

Grandi was asked about what President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier in setting out a plan for returning Syrian refugees "quickly."

"Our position on return is always the same. Return can only be voluntary, but President Erdoğan said it very clearly himself, return can only be voluntary," said the UNHCR chief.

He added, "Our position has always been as well that if people return to Syria wherever they return they need and deserve humanitarian support, and I hope that this continues to be the case.

"So that wherever they go whether from Turkey, wherever they go preferably to their place of origin. That support has been difficult to...