Mr. High Commissioner,

I would like to start with commending the work of your Office and its excellent cooperation with my Government. Since the outset of the crises next to our borders, we had the privilege of having such an efficient and reliable partner.

We are glad that this partnership is now crowned by the Host Country Agreement.

I would like to draw your attention that, although Turkey is among the countries which the crisis in Syria impacted most, and despite the undeniable fact that our responsibility was not shared on a fair basis by the international community over the last six years, my Government did not cease to support UNHCR financially.

For 2016, we pledge again to make the same contribution as last year, which is, for the records, 300 thousand USD, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Mr. High Commissioner,

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind that the largest donors of the humanitarian system are host Governments and host communities. However, there is a tendency in the international community to disregard or take for granted the contributions of the hosts.

With this understanding, we are looking forward to cooperating with countries hosting large refugee communities, with a view to increasing the visibility of our joint contributions to the international humanitarian system.