Foreign Ministry: Türkiye not a refugee camp or border guard for any nation

Türkiye will neither be a refugee camp nor a border guard for any country, and it will in no circumstances assume third countries' international obligations, the country’s Foreign Ministry has said.

Saturday's statement came after news reports in the UK press said that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is one of the prime ministerial candidates, may demand an agreement with Türkiye similar to the one done with Rwanda on asylum partnership.

Responding to the news reports, Tanju Bilgic, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said: “We hope that these claims that were published in reference to Ms. Truss are baseless.”

In April, the UK and Rwanda reached a $142-million deal that would see asylum seekers attempting to enter the UK being sent to the East African country for resettlement.

Bilgic said in a statement that Türkiye has already been hosting the largest number of refugees in the world for the last eight years.

READ MORE:UK cancels first flight to deport refugees to Rwanda

'Assume equal responsibility'

“It is therefore out of question for Türkiye to shoulder more burden or to be a part of an initiative, at third countries' request, that does not comply with international regulations on right to asylum,” he said.

“Besides, we had already shared our position publicly last year following similar news published on Afghan refugees.”

“Accordingly, we invite all countries to fulfil their international obligations and assume equal responsibility on migration issues,” Bilgic said.

Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution in their countries.

It already hosts four million refugees, more than any other country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.

READ MORE:Türkiye stresses need for fair burden-sharing on migration