UN chief urges nations to be more generous to refugees

ISTANBUL – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on nations “to match the generosity” of Turkey in protecting refugees, saying that too many borders are being closed and many nations are “escaping their responsibilities.”

Guterres, the former chief of the U.N.’s refugee agency, was speaking Friday at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, whose country is hosting 3 million refugees.

The U.N. chief said he was hopeful that talks aimed at unifying long-divided island of Cyprus would lead to a “breakthrough in the near future,” adding that any solution should meet the security concerns of both the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities.

Guterres said he understood Turkey’s security needs following July’s failed military coup, but urged it to respect the rule of law and human rights.