Turkey Plans to Repatriate Syrian Refugees in Batches: Erdogan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is preparing to send Syrian refugees back to their country in a phased approach.
"A road map for the return of refugees will be planned soon. It will be analyzed how soon their return can be ensured," Erdogan stated in an interview with TRT Haber.
Turkey has already repatriated 450,000 Syrian refugees, and Erdogan disclosed plans to return another 1 million.
"We have a plan to return another 1 million refugees there," Erdogan revealed.
The topic of Syrian refugees has been a subject of intense debate within Turkish politics, with its significance emphasized in this year's presidential election campaigns. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu pledged that if he emerges victorious, he intends to bid farewell to the refugees within two years.
Kilicdaroglu proposed a normalization of Ankara's diplomatic relations with the Syrian government, involving a joint agreement with Syria to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees and initiate joint reconstruction efforts in Syria with the assistance of Turkish companies, UN, and EU funding.
In contrast, Erdogan's government has pursued diplomatic avenues to expand relations with Syria through Russian- and Iranian-mediated talks.
According to data from the Turkish migration agency in January, approximately 3.5 million Syrians reside in Turkey.
Erdogan narrowly missed securing a first-round victory against his political rivals in the 2023 presidential elections on May 14. He required less than half a percent of the votes to extend his presidential term, while his rival and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu obtained 44.8% of the total votes in the first round.
The second round of elections is scheduled for May 28, with both leading candidates expressing confidence in securing the necessary votes to become president.
