Canada will resettle up to 5,000 mostly Iraqi and Iranian refugees now in Turkey, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Tuesday.

"With escalating violence in the region, more people are seeking protection in Turkey, and our commitment to resettle 5,000 mostly Iraqi and Iranian refugees in Canada will help Turkey deal with this growing pressure," Kenney said in a statement.

The offer is expected to free up resources for an influx of Syrians seeking protection in Turkey from the deadly civil war that the United Nations says has killed more than 60,000 people in nearly two years.

Ottawa has already welcomed 12,000 Iraqi refugees in recent years, mostly out of war-torn Syria.

Canada welcomes one in 10 refugees resettled worldwide.