Istanbul, Dec 10 () - The 3-billion-euro support promised by the European Union to Turkey to ease the economic burdens of the around 2 million refugees in the country was not enough, according to Kamal Malhotra, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Turkey.
"We are closely watching the talks between the [Turkish] government and the EU” said Malhotra.
“Firstly, the 3 billion euros from the EU to Turkey would not be enough to contribute [to finding] the solution to the problem,” he told daily Hürriyet. “The EU should consider Turkey’s demand.”
Gülçin Salıngan from UNDP Istanbul added a refugee stays in a country up to 17 years on average.
So far the EU has not scheduled the financing of the 3 billion euros in initial aid to Turkey, which was decided upon at a meeting with the bloc members and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Nov. 29.
Malhotra also said the UNDP was receiving good support from the Turkish government and recalled that the U.N. body carried its regional center from Slovakia to Turkey last year.
The UNDP operates with a nearly 1,000-person staff based in Istanbul, Ankara, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep and Hatay.