Istanbul Governor Davut Gül stated that 31,765 Syrians returned from Istanbul to Syria during the first seven months of this year.

In a statement made today, Thursday, August 8, the governor clarified that during the first seven months of 2024, 174 anti-immigration smuggling operations were carried out, resulting in the arrest of 420 individuals, with legal action taken against 56 people.

Additionally, about 420,000 foreigners were questioned using 100 vehicles belonging to the Turkish authorities’ mobile immigration checkpoints.

In the context of the figures presented to review the local authorities’ work during this period, the governor did not provide further details on the return of Syrians, their methods, or causes. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed it is not currently encouraging a wide-scale voluntary return of Syrians.

The UNHCR justified its position in its report issued on August 6, stating that the necessary security and material conditions for return are not yet available.

The report mentioned that the Syrian crisis has entered its 14th year, but the security, social, and economic conditions continue to deteriorate.

The UNHCR also indicated its continued efforts to address the concerns of returning internally displaced persons and refugees at risk through protection and assistance services in their areas of return, regardless of the return method.

Since 2017, the UNHCR has conducted surveys in major refugee-hosting countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt, to measure the perceptions and intentions of Syrian refugees regarding return. These studies have consistently shown that most Syrian refugees still hope to return to Syria one day, but various obstacles prevent many from doing so.

Some of these obstacles relate to safety, security, and legal concerns, as well as material or economic issues, the lack of livelihoods and job opportunities, access to essential services, housing, and the necessary financial resources for return and reintegration.

On August 5, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that 729,000 out of three million and 103 thousand Syrians residing in Turkey, do not have an address.

The minister added that Syrians who do not update their addresses within five months will not be able to benefit from public services, such as schools and healthcare.

According to Yerlikaya, the number of migrants in Turkey is 4.437 million, including Syrians under temporary protection, in addition to 1.109 million people with residence permits and 224,000 under international protection.