The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has risen to 117,000, while the flow of arrivals continues, especially at Ceylanpinar, a Turkish town located on the other side of the border from Ras al Ayn. The new figure was provided by the Governor of Kilis Province, Suleyman Tapsis, to the Italian Special Envoy for the refugee emergency, Margherita Boniver, who was visiting the Turkish border town. The town is about half-way between Gaziantep in Turkey and Aleppo in Syria.
Meetings with the Turkish authorities in Ankara
Boniver, who is acting under a mandate from Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi, will be meeting the Turkish authorities in Ankara today. She has already visited the refugee camp at Kilis, which houses 13,000 people and is located very near the border. The Special envoy announced to her Turkish interlocutors that an advanced medical unit (with supplies worth about €300,000) and humanitarian aid worth a further 250,000 will soon be arriving. The Hon. Boniver also told her Turkish hosts that Italy has decided to earmark an additional €20 million in 2013 for the Syrian refugees.
