Turkish plan to deport Syrians contradicts UN Resolution 2254 – ENKS
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS) said on Tuesday that the Turkish project to settle Syrian refugees conflicted with the UN Resolution 2254.
This came in a statement by the ENKS two weeks after the Turkish president’s announcement to settle about one million Syrian refugees in different areas it holds in Syria’s north.
The ENKS is a bloc of Kurdish political parties which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) and opposes the Democratic Union Party (PYD) which is the ruling party in areas held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
On May 3, the Turkish president disclosed about his plan to settle about one million Syrian refugees in 13 Syrian areas adjacent to the southern border of Turkey starting from Azaz in the west to Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in the east.
The political process towards a definitive solution should be activated in order to guarantee a safe return for the Syrian refugees to their original areas, the ENKS statement read.
The statement explained that the Turkish project falls under the category of “deporting the refugees and changing the demography of these areas because favorable conditions are not provided for their [Syrian refugees] return and also are not rehabilitated.”
This project coincided “with the onset of the parliamentary elections in Turkey and debates between the competing parties,” the statement added.
The ENKS called on Turkey to refrain from implementing the project.