More than half a million Syrians who had fled to Turkey have returned to their country since 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
“Since the beginning of our cross-border operations in Syria [en 2016]about 526,000 volunteers have returned to the safe zones we have established [dans le nord du pays]“, declared the Head of State before the Turkish National Assembly.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in recent months said he is “preparing” the return – on a voluntary basis – of one million Syrian refugees, out of the 3.7 officially registered in the country. He wants to continue financing, with the support of international aid, housing and infrastructure in northwestern Syria, the last rebel zone escaping the power of Damascus and where Ankara is deploying its troops.
The question of welcoming Syrian refugees has become a hot topic in Turkey, eight and a half months before the next presidential election and while the country is facing a major economic and monetary crisis. Opposition parties regularly call on the authorities to deport millions of Syrians.
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The conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, left around half a million dead and millions displaced and refugees.