Turkey continues to be haven for oppressed, says Turkish president

Turkey will remain a "haven" for all oppressed people, the country's president said on Tuesday

Speaking at the 6th International Benevolence Awards ceremony at the Bestepe Congress Center in the capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey had welcomed migrants from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan before and that now, "they are coming from Ukraine, and we don't know where else they will come from" in the future.

"But, this country will always continue to be a haven for the oppressed, don't be concerned," Erdoğan added.

Commenting on the coronavirus and its outcomes, Turkish president said the pandemic "showed the importance of kindness, altruism, and sharing -- not to only us, but to humanity."

Underlining that the pandemic has "once again reminded that humanity has a common fate," Erdoğan said the COVID-19 outbreak revealed the deadlock, injustices, and distortions in the global system.

"We have witnessed situations in which even the most developed countries of the world were engaged in a war for masks, a shortage of ventilators, and nursing homes for the elderly turning into morgues," he added.

Pointing out that Turkey had provided medical assistance to 160 countries and 12 international organizations throughout the pandemic, Erdoğan said: "We're gradually delivering the 15 million doses of vaccines that we promised at the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit to our African brothers."

The International Benevolence Awards, which made its debut in 2015, aims to reward pioneers of benevolence from Turkey and around the world, according to its website.