Erdogan says Turkey to keep up open-door refugee policy

ANKARA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will continue its open-door refugee policy, despite the lack of sufficient support from European countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Speaking at a meeting in Ankara to mark the International Migrants Day, Erdogan said "Turkey walks tall when it comes to the issue of migrants," while some developed countries "keep their heads down."

Erdogan criticized the delay of 6-billion-euros aid package the EU promised to Turkey last year, saying the amount Turkey received so far is just 900 million euros

In March 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal that aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by implementing stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of Turkey's 3 million Syrian refugees.

Erdogan also emphasized that Turkey has hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees worldwide, adding that Turkish government has spent 30 billion U.S. dollars for refugees over the past seven years.

According to statistics released by the Turkish Interior Ministry, there are over 3.3 million Syrians registered with biometric IDs in Turkey, of whom about 227,000 are living in refugee camps, while the rest are living across the country. Enditem