Turkey continues to build settlements in northern Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu revealed his country’s intention to build about 250,000 homes in northern Syria, as part of a plan to return Syrian refugees.
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted on Tuesday as saying, “we are preparing a new project for the voluntary return of one million Syrian brothers who are in our country as guests.”
It was preceded by statements by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on April 22 that his country is working on the project of “a safe and dignified return for the Syrian refugees”, in cooperation with other countries, without revealing them.
Soylu in a television interview, said that Turkey is planning to build about 250,000 homes in northern Syria for a voluntary return for a million Syrian refugees.
Turkey has prepared 13 projects, including the construction of 250,000 homes in areas occupied by Turkey and the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions in Sere Kaniye, Tel Abyad, Jarablus and al-Bab, according to Soylu’s statements,
These projects will be funded by international relief organizations, and target Syrian refugees with temporary residency in Turkey.
According to the minister, the Syrian refugee has the right to benefit from these houses for a period of between five and ten years.
In February 2022, Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) revealed in a report that Turkey has followed more severe measures against Syrian refugees on its territory.
STJ noted that the Turkish authorities have arbitrarily and illegally returned dozens of refugees, despite their possession of official documents issued by the Turkish government that allow them to legally reside in Turkey.