Jolie meeting with Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon on Wednesday. (EPA)
ISTANBUL — Angelina Jolie visited Syrian refugees in Turkey on Thursday to draw attention to the plight of the hundreds of thousands who have fled their nation’s civil war.
The trip by Jolie, UNHCR’s special envoy, and the agency’s chief, Antonio Guterres, came amid concern in Turkey that the number of registered Syrian refugees on its soil — about 80,000 — is becoming difficult to manage.
Turkey has also been frustrated in attempts to persuade the international community to help set up safe havens for Syrian civilians inside Syria.
Jolie and Guterres drove through the gates of the Kilis camp near the Syrian border. Her meetings with refugees were closed to the media. Her two-day itinerary in Turkey was also to include a stop in Ankara, the capital, for talks with officials including President Abdullah Gul.
Earlier this week, Jolie and Guterres visited Syrian refugees in Jordan, which is also sheltering those who have fled the 18-month conflict in neighboring Syria. Guterres said the sheer numbers are taking a toll on Jordan’s economy and resources.
The UN refugee agency has said the number of Syrian refugees seeking its help now tops a quarter-million — and could be far higher.
Turkey, which supports the Syrian opposition in its fight against President Bashar Assad’s regime, has maintained an “open door” policy for Syrians fleeing the violence. Turkey has spent more than $300 million on the refugee crisis and is building three new camps, raising the total number of camps to 14.