Skip to main content

How did Ankara's spending on Syrian refugees jump to $25 billion?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently claimed Turkey spent $25 billion on Syrian refugees, although he had cited $10 billion in February and even the number of refugees did not change.

A general view of the Harran refugee camp is seen in the Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 6, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSGANU
A general view of the Harran refugee camp is seen in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 6, 2016. — REUTERS/Umit Bektas

In his recent address to the UN General Assembly's annual meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had spent $25 billion for Syrian refugees. This number caught everyone off guard, because until now Turks were told that their country had spent $10 billion for Syrian refugees.

On July 9, 2015, Erdogan said that Turkey had spent $6 billion for Syrian refugees between 2011 and June 2015. On Oct. 5, 2015, however, the Turkish president said the sum was actually $7.5 billion. Head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency Fuat Oktay had spoken of $10 billion as of February 2016.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in