Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that he will meet with Syrian non-governmental organizations to discuss the issue of the return of Syrian refugees to Syria.
Yerlikaya explained today, Tuesday, December 10, that he will evaluate the matter with humanitarian organizations that have supported the restoration of life in the Syrian “safe zone” so far.
He added, “We have the facilities and we will announce that to Syrians and our citizens after the meeting.”
The meeting will take place tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, with NGOs in the “safe zone,” noting that the average return operations currently stand at 11,000 crossings towards Syria.
This number was between 300 and 400 yesterday, but it has doubled by this afternoon, although the daily capacity is three thousand, and the capacity has been increased to 15-20 thousand daily.
According to the Turkish minister, the number of Syrians who have returned “voluntarily” to Syria since 2016 has reached 738,000, and there are currently two million and 935 thousand Syrians in Turkey with addresses known to the Turkish state.
With the launch of the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation on November 27, led by Syrian opposition factions, the operation aimed to halt the previous bombardment of the Syrian regime in northwestern Syria and to return the displaced to their homes.
The factions were able to regain control over all areas previously held by the regime in the north, center, and south.
After the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, noticeable congestion and crowding of Syrians returning to Syria was witnessed at the Turkish border crossings, following years of seeking refuge in Turkey.
Today, Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed with NATO Secretary-General the latest developments in Syria, asserting that Turkey has been calling for the protection of Syrian territorial integrity and stability since the first day of what he described as the “civil war” in Syria, emphasizing that Syria should be governed by its people.
From time to time, rumors arise in Turkey regarding the number of Syrians in the country, and far-right opposition parties accuse the government of manipulating the numbers of Syrians residing in the country, repeatedly stating that 13 million Syrians reside in Turkey.
Despite repeated denials by the government and continuous announcements from the Turkish Presidency of Migration Management, as well as figures released by the United Nations, these political parties continue to pressure the government regarding the Syrian refugee issue.
In recent years, the Syrian refugee card has been exploited by Turkish opposition parties to achieve electoral gains since the elections of 2018.
This exploitation has increased amid rising racist rhetoric against Syrians and has coincided with several circumstances, most notably inflation and the rising unemployment rate, enabling the Turkish opposition to gain advantages through the use of this issue.
Throughout the years of the Syrians’ residence in Turkey, political parties have formed based on projects aimed at “expelling refugees from Turkey,” such as the extremist Zafer Party, which has engaged in presidential and municipal elections under these promises.