He began by saying Turkey should receive more help for the assistance it is providing to refugees fleeing the Syrian war.
"Turkey and the other countries hosting Syrian refugees have born a huge amount of the responsibility and deserve more help from the international community," according to Ban.
“At this time, we have at least 130 million people who need daily humanitarian assistance, including 60 million refugees and displaced people.
Turkey has been most generous in accommodating more than 3 million Syrian refugees,” he said. "Currently hosting more than 3 million refugees from neighboring countries, Turkey has the experience, knowledge and tradition to respond to humanitarian crisis.
The Secretary-General urged greater solidarity in order to find new ways for admitting more Syrian refugees and focused on contributions displaced persons could provide for a host country.
"When managed properly, accepting refugees is a win for everyone. Refugees are famously devoted to education and self-reliance. They bring new skills and dynamism into aging workforce," he said.
"Attempts to demonize them are not only offensive; they are factually incorrect. I have been calling on leaders to counter xenophobia and fear mongering with reassurance," he added.
The European Union and Turkey struck a deal in March that stipulated all refugees who reach Europe would be returned to Turkey. Ankara would then benefit from additional funds to help deal with the crisis and the opening of one policy area on accession to EU membership.
“I hope this agreement will be faithfully implemented. Most importantly, there should be a political solution through dialogue,” he said.
The refugee crisis is fueled by the five-year-old war that erupted during the Arab Spring. More than a half of a million victims have been killed and 10 million others have been displaced in by the war which Assad and his allies are launching on Syrians.
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