What is the Arab League's migrant policy?

We have said that, strangely enough, Türkiye's humanitarian policy toward migrants over the past 8 years, which should serve as a lesson to the whole world, disturbs certain countries. Why are these countries, which have far greater means to do much more and to do it far more easily, disturbed by Türkiye's migration policy?

The reason is actually very simple, and the strangeness of the matter lies precisely in that simplicity. They are stingy themselves, and they want others to be stingy too. For the conspicuous generosity of others exposes to the whole world their own stinginess, their inhumane indifference, their insensitivity toward humanitarian problems, and this naturally causes discomfort.

But is one supposed to abandon people who have taken refuge at one's door to death merely so that they, too, will not be disturbed?

That is why even the distorted reflections of the new measures Türkiye has recently begun to take regarding the settlement plan for migrants in Türkiye seem to have delighted some of them enormously. They have all but put on bells and danced, as though Türkiye had finally reached the end of the humanitarian policy it has pursued.

Yet even the way they present it is not along the lines of "Türkiye has finally understood the truth and turned back from its error." This time it is as though "they themselves are doing far more, and Türkiye is falling far short of what it should do."

The other day, on an Arab channel, following news reports that certain well-known Arab media outlets have been broadcasting over and over about the implementation of the migrant settlement plan recently put into effect in Türkiye, this comment was made: "Türkiye is treating Syrian migrants very badly; it is deporting them and sending them to the mercy of Assad, that is, to death."

When I was asked for my view on this manufactured news, I said the following: Those who make this comment do not fear God; at the very least let them be ashamed before His servants, and let them tell me first how many Syrian migrants they have admitted into their own countries, and how much aid they have sent to the Syrians they have not admitted into their own countries.

Türkiye has so far admitted, one way or another, close to 5 million migrants from Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan, and has given and continues to give them the most humane treatment.

Moreover, ninety percent of these migrants have chosen to come to Türkiye as a result of the unrest, the human rights violations, and the practices, of their own making, that make life unbearable in the countries of those who say these things about Türkiye. Because in Türkiye they find humane treatment, law, stability and opportunities.

Let us set aside their admitting refugees into their own countries; instead of criticizing Türkiye on top of that, it would be enough if they did not mistreat their own citizens in ways that cause them to flee their own countries, did not kill them arbitrarily, did not arrest them, and did not subject them to torture in their dungeons.

Let them not forget that all these refugees who come to Türkiye bring with them the legitimacy of their own countries. Through their flight and their arrival, they announce to the whole world the human rights violations, the torture and the disgraceful state of affairs in the Arab world. What is happening in Egypt? What is happening in Yemen, in Syria?

There is an international organization called the Arab League. There are countries competing with one another to lead this League. Have we seen any one of these competing countries concern itself with the problems of people who have been forced to flee to and take refuge in non-Arab countries because of the inhumane conditions in Arab countries? Have we seen any of these countries admit that the Arab refugees in non-Arab countries are their own shame, and make it their concern how these people might be helped?

Truly, what is the Arab League's migrant policy? Does it have a plan for the peoples it represents to live a dignified life? Does it have any measure regarding the fact that people from its own member states are forced to flee into every nook and corner of non-Arab countries? Or is it content with this situation? What is it?

Meanwhile, let us repeat that the actual nature of the practices recently carried out in Türkiye, which have made them so jubilant, is not as they understand and present it, so that they do not rejoice in vain. The practices being carried out in Türkiye at present amount only to a more rational and more technical regulation of migration.

As our esteemed President has also stated, Türkiye has not deviated even a millimeter from its humanitarian policy on migrants.

It is only a matter of putting back into effect certain regulations that were laid down at the outset but were later both violated by the migrants and neglected in their follow-up by the officials.

There is never, and there will never be, any question of forcibly sending anyone back to a place where their life is in danger.

There are some measures that need to be taken to ease the burden on Istanbul, but as these measures are applied, the humanitarian circumstances created by 8 years of settlement will also be taken into account, and nothing will be cut off and thrown away.

For that reason, it will be inevitable that the full implementation of these measures will be spread over a certain period of time.

In other words, Türkiye will continue to fulfill its humanitarian duties. In doing so, it will continue to remind those who do not fulfill their own duties of those duties, rubbing it in before the eyes of the whole world, and to cause them discomfort in this way.

The aim, of course, is not to cause discomfort, but the most basic humanitarian duties cannot be neglected just because some people will be disturbed.