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Erdogan promises not to 'slam doors' in faces of Syrian and Iraqi refugees

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will continue receiving refugees from Syria and Iraq

MINSK, November 11. /TASS/. Turkey will not refuse from accommodating in its territory refugees from Syria and Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Minsk on Friday, where he together with Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko participates in the official ceremony of opening a mosque.

"We continue and shall continue receiving them (refugees), as the faith requires us to do so," Erdogan said. "We are unable to close doors in front of those who run from shelling."

Turkey presently accommodates about 2.7 million Syrian and about 300,000 Iraqi refugees. Some of them stay at tents in border provinces, but most refugees have found accommodation throughout Turkey. Ankara claims its expenses for refugees are more than $20 billion from both central and regional budgets.