During his visit to Nizip, the Syrian refugee camp near Gaziantep, Turkey, foreign minister Frans Timmermans pledged an additional EUR 3 million for the reception of Syrian refugees.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR will receive EUR 2 million for providing reception in the region for Syrian refugees. The remaining EUR 1 million will go to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, sister organisation of the Dutch Red Cross, to help refugees inside Syria.
Mr Timmermans thanked Turkey for its generous reception of Syrian refugees – some 400,000 so far. Most have found shelter in well-equipped camps, which have already cost Turkey about USD 1 billion.
In Gaziantep, Mr Timmermans also met with opposition representatives from Aleppo’s local councils, who brought him up to date on the situation there.
The Minister will end his Middle East trip with a visit this evening to Dutch troops operating two Patriot missile batteries that protect the Turkish city Adana against possible rocket attacks from Syria.