Turkish Interior Minister Ali Erikaya claimed on Sunday that 7,621 Syrian refugees “voluntarily returned” from Turkey between December 9 and 13.
At least three million Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
Yelikaya claimed Last week, the number of Syrians returning from Turkey jumped from 150 percent to 200 percent per day after Islamic rebels reached Damascus. overthrown Dictator Bashar Assad on December 8th.
“In 2024, we had an average of 11,000 voluntary returns per month. However, since yesterday afternoon, that number has increased significantly, and so has the number of people crossing the border,” he said. said.
Erikaya announced last week that border crossing capacity would increase from 3,000 to more than 15,000 people per day to accommodate the expected wave of Syrians returning home.
“We have their respective addresses, and returns will be handled by appointment only.”
Sunday, Yelikaya said Crowds at the five existing border crossings where Turkey enters Syria were large but manageable, and a sixth crossing will be opened soon to “ease traffic.”
Turkish officials have hinted that Syrian refugees should return home at the earliest opportunity now that Assad is gone. As the Syrian unrest drags on for years, Turkey's sentiments toward the huge numbers of refugees it has absorbed into its country have steadily grown.
The rebels are even more furious about Syria's presence than President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party. Last week, several mayors belonging to the opposition CHP provided Purchase free one-way bus tickets for Syrians living in the district.
last week bbc quotation Some Syrian refugees said the decision to return home was not easy. Most of them said they wanted to return as soon as possible, but life in war-torn Syria may still be too difficult and dangerous for their families.
“Many parts of Syria still don't have water and electricity only comes at certain times of the day. It's not even clear who will rule the country and how, but we will return to help Syria get back on its feet. “We need to do that,” one refugee said.
Refugees and their supporters were also concerned about the Islamist rebel coalition that had seized power in Damascus. The coalition's leading force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is an offshoot of al-Qaeda. trying To rebrand as a more inclusive and liberal brand. Few observers are willing to take the claims of moderates at face value.
“There are still risks in Syria, both in terms of security and to everyday life. An internationally recognized government must take office in Damascus,” Metin Korabatil, director of the Center for Asylum and Migration Studies, told the BBC. told.
“It's not easy to predict how the group that comes to power will behave, but Syrians will naturally expect it. What kind of regime will form there? The team that came says, “We are not jihadists, we accept diversity,'' but only time will tell if this is true,'' he said.
Kolavatir said it will take many years for Turkey's Syrian refugee population to exceed 3 million people, and even if security concerns are resolved, it could of course take several years before they can all return home. He pointed out that there is.
Other migration experts say Turkey's economy is adjusting to accommodate huge numbers of Syrian refugees, who, like most migrant groups around the world, have become a source of very cheap illegal labor. The sudden departure of millions of people could have a serious impact, he said. Turkish economy.
Turkey is hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees ever, but several European countries are having similar discussions about when their own refugees will return to Syria.
Austrian government too took a page Turkish CHP mayors have offered Syrians a $1,050 “repatriation bonus” to allow them to return home voluntarily. Unlike refugees in Turkey, Syrians in Austria cannot cross the border on foot or take a bus back to their home villages, and given the precarious security situation in Syria at the moment, one-way flights are not an option. $1,050 may not be enough to cover the ticket.
Belgium, Germany, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Norway all joined Austria. Paused There has been a flurry of asylum applications from Syrians, but so far everyone has been hesitant to deport Syrian refugees because it may not yet be safe for them to return home.
