DARAA, Syria (North Press) – Recent talks of a possible political understanding between Turkey and Syria has impinged upon Syrian refugees living in Turkey, pushing a large number to consider going to Europe.
Turkish opposition parties are not welcoming the Syrian refugees and they invest this issue for the coming presidential elections in addition to the restrictions imposed on the refugees’ practices.
Ghazwan Qurunful, head of the Free Syrian Lawyers Association in Turkey, told North Press that any formula of cooperation or coordination between Damascus and Ankara would reshuffle the return of refugees to areas under the [Syrian] government based on security reassurances from Turkey and Russia.
Qurunful added Turkey wants to return more than two million refugees before the 2023 elections, “This number could not be accommodated in northern Syria.”
He expressed the belief that Syrian refugees know the “shift” in the Turkish policy “would remarkably impinge upon the continuation of their presence in Turkey.”
Such a policy arouses the refugees’ concerns, “not because they do not want to return to their country, rather it owes to the continuation in power of the ruling regime since a large number of them [refugees] cannot coexist with it,” according to Qurunful who warned against the rising tone in hatred discourse toward Syrian refugees.
He went further saying that the plan to return the refugees “would not have been done so smoothly and clearly without a silence procedure and an implied okay by Western governments and the United Nations bodies.”
On September 6, Meral Akşener, leader of the Good Party in Turkey, said in a televised interview she would work to deport all Syrians before October 2026.
Turkish statements against Syrian refugees and reconciliation with the Syrian government aroused a wide scale popular discontent among Syrians.
The spate in agitation pushed Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a clarification regarding its position towards the Syrian cause, when Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu said his country “continues its solidarity with the Syrian people and it supports the political solution that takes into account Syrians’ demands.”
Raja Ahmad, a pseudonym for an Istanbul-based Syrian journalist told North Press that the Turkish statements “shocked Syrians since Turkey is one of the main active players in the Syrian issue and it was described as a guarantor state.”
Ahmad said Syrians are being restricted in Turkey “even though indirectly,” when recently the government issued procedures in “no longer issuing the temporary identity card (Kimlik), defining the place of residence, fixing the address, and that percent of Syrians should not exceed 20% in any region.”
She noted that Syrians observe a rise in the tone of hatred and racism by some Turkish officials.
“Syrians will not accept camps or compounds that have been constructed or are under construction on the Syrian-Turkish border to be substitute for the return to their areas from which they were displaced, and if they are to accept, this will be a new obstacle in the way of the political solution.”
Derya Yanik Minister of Family and Social Services said her country “gradually” sends Syrians to their country. However, there is not enough room to send all of them, adding that “after 2023 none of them would remain here.”
Turkey-based Rashid Hourani, researcher at the Syrian Foundation for Studies and Public Opinion Research said Syrians are divided into two either supporters or opponents regarding talks between Damascus and Ankara.
Hourani told North Press, “Those support the talks see them a political maneuver that charge into security communications between countries in conflicts and wars.”
While the opponents “are obsessed with the results that could emanate from these talks and the probability they may lead to political recognition of the regime and Turkey’s participation in rehabilitating it,” according to Hourani.
Hourani, according to the international law, supposes such statements should not affect Syrians; however, “non-taking accountable those commit racist acts against Syrians and the use of the Turkish public opinion by the Turkish opposition against the Syrians, saying they are the reason behind the economic depression would push them to commit more acts against Syrians.”
Based on this, some reports, according to Hourani, monitored an increase in Syrian’s migration from Turkey towards European countries after the recent statements by the Turkish officials, harassment and racism.”
The main incentive for migration after the statements is “Syrians’ feeling of inclination by the international community to accept al-Assad regime in spite of all crimes. This is being the case that they cannot return to Syria.”