Speaking on the second day of the Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region", Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said: “Indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, forced displacement, use of chemical weapons and the attacks of terrorist organizations on civilians have caused the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II."

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. 

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN.

Akdag said: “The effects of the crisis transcend beyond the borders of Syria.”

He also added that Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million registered Syrians, "without any discrimination in terms of their ethnicity or beliefs".

“Free access to medical care, education and shelter have been extended to our Syrian guests,” he said, adding that over 300,000 Syrian babies were born on Turkish soil since the beginning of the conflict.

“Work permits have been provided for nearly 20,000 Syrians. Also, nearly 13,000 Syrian businesses have been launched in Turkey,” Akdag said, adding that the figures show that Turkey continues to “shoulder” the humanitarian burden of the crisis.

“Our expenditures for the needs of Syrians in a wide range of services have reached to €31 billion [ $37.7 billion],” Akdag said.