Erdoğan says Turkey cares about Syrian people, not oil sources

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated on Monday Turkey's determination in supporting and hosting Syrian refugees would continue, despite calls to send them back.

"Turkey is a country that gives the biggest support to the least developed countries and refugees in the world," Erdoğan said in his speech at the International Ombudsman Conference in Istanbul.

"Turkey will never force persecuted people who fled barrel bombs in Syria to go back," Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey cares about the people, not the oil.

He noted that some countries are in the "process of sharing the oil reserves" in Syria and have offered Turkey to be a partner, but Ankara refused because it is not interested in the country's resources.

Erdoğan reiterated once again that Turkey is hosting 4 million Syrian refugees and has received 3 billion euros in assistance from the European Union.

Touching upon Turkey's determination to thwart all threats against its security.

"We do not just keep terrorist organizations away from us but we also destroy them in their source. We are struggling against all terrorist organizations that pose a threat to our country and the world, including Daesh, al-Qaida and PKK/YPG," Erdoğan said.

The president also said highlighted the importance of the bond between the people and their states, noting that countries unable to establish strong ties with their citizens are more vulnerable to domestic and foreign interference.

"It is not possible to bring down a country embraced by the people," he said, adding that countries that have turned a deaf ear to the demands of their people have faced significant destruction.

"In our region, there are many countries and administrations which are making this grave mistake," Erdoğan said, as he noted that Turkey is an exception because there is a strong bond between the state and the people, which has enabled the country to stand up tall in the face of years-long economic, terror attacks and other threats.