WASHINGTON 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that migration is a global challenge and urged "active international cooperation" to tackle it.

"Because we fail to address these root causes, we must now deal with the consequence,” he said in an address at the first-ever International Migration Review at the UN General Assembly. “Migration requires a global and sustainable approach."

The Forum serves as a platform for member states to assess the Global Compact for Migration, the first inter-governmental agreement covering international migration.

"We are actively engaged in all initiatives to uphold dignity, well-being and the rise of migrants. That is why we fully support the Global Compact for Migration," he said.

Cavusoglu said Turkiye is committed to migration policies in accordance with the agreement.

"Voluntary, safe and dignified return shall be encouraged. Resettlement must be more widely applied for those who are unable to return," he added. "More importantly, we should address the root causes of migration we should provide urgent humanitarian and development assistance."

Turkiye has been hosting the world's largest refugee population since 2014, said the minister, adding that after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, it received an additional 145,000 people.

Regarding Syrian refugees, Cavusoglu said 500,000 have returned to areas Turkiye cleared of the YPG terror group -- the Syrian branch of PKK -- and noted that Ankara is working on a plan that "will facilitate the safe and voluntary returns of 1 million Syrians."