A group of 89 Syrian refugees arrived this Saturday morning at the Torrejón military airport in the Spanish capital to resettle in that country after be at risk from the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria on February 6.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are assisting in the resettlement process for Syrian children, women and men from the Turkish area affected by the disaster, where they had sought refuge fleeing the armed conflict in their country.
After their arrival in Madrid, the Syrians will be registered as recognized refugees in Spain and will receive medical and psychosocial assistance.
The refugees will stay in different NGO reception centers that operate within the framework of a Spanish government program.
Spain has already welcomed more than 200 refugees through resettlement since the beginning of the year, and since 2013 it has received refugees, mainly from Lebanon and Turkey, through resettlement programs.
More than 1.7 million refugees affected by the earthquake in Turkey
The UN estimates that of the nine million casualties left by the earthquake in Turkey, more than 1.7 million are refugees. That country has been hosting some 3.5 million Syrian refugees and other nationalities for twelve years.
The UN agencies highlighted that many refugees who fled to Turkey in search of safety and protection have now once again faced the trauma of loss and displacementonce again without a home or livelihood.
Furthermore, they now live in fear and uncertainty, as aftershocks and subsequent earthquakes continue to shake the area. Most of the refugees live in urban areas, which are the ones that register the greatest destruction.
Urge more support from countries that resettle refugees
The High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, urged support for the victims of the earthquake, including refugees, migrants and host communities.
“To protect the refugees most at risk and to help ease pressures on the local communities that are also affected by this humanitarian disasterUNHCR calls on States to speed up the resettlement and departure processes,” Grandi said.
Like the owner of the IOMAntónio Vitorino, Grandi thanked Spain and other countries that have responded to the refugee resettlement appeal, but stressed that the emergency is major after the disaster and that more States are needed to quickly welcome the affected refugees.
He stated that it is a tangible expression of solidarity and shared responsibility that guarantees immediate and life-changing solutions for refugees, who have become even more vulnerable as a result of the earthquakes.
António Vitorino, for his part, maintained that resettlement not only provides the international protection that the most vulnerable so desperately need, but also gives them a path to successful integration into their new societies.
“IOM is proud to have been part of this process. hope to see that these efforts are quickly replicated”, said the IOM director general.
