In the midst of the Turkish elections, a poll by the British newspaper “The Guardian” revealed that at least 80% of Turks want Syrians to return to their homeland.
Observers attribute the growing sentiment, particularly among anti-immigrant parties, to the role of the economic crisis, which is fueling anti-refugee sentiments in the country.
Erdogan has pledged
As he prepared for a second round against his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan said that Ankara is preparing a plan for the return of Syrian refugees, but that it will not be done by force. Over the past few days, Erdogan has repeated his statements about the return of more than a million refugees to the safe areas, which Turkey has established through its military operations in northern Syria, and where it has put put in place the necessary infrastructure for their return. In his first comment on the refugee issue after winning the elections, Erdogan confirmed that his government “will ensure the return of an additional one million Syrian refugees”. In the year before the elections, the Turkish government intensified its “voluntary repatriation” program to Syria. The losing candidate in the elections, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, had openly declared his desire to expel the Syrian refugees, declaring: “We will send all Syrians back to their country within two years at the latest”.
New state policy
Political observers and analysts said the Turkish elections would cast a shadow over the refugee file, especially with the growing counter-appeals against them from many political forces and currents, but said Erdogan will calmly deal with the return. refugees in their country of origin. , unlike Kilicdaroglu.
In his interview with “Sky News Arabia”, international relations expert Ayman Samir believes that although the general impression is that Erdogan’s policy will not change in the new mandate compared to previous measures, especially with regard to refugees, but estimates indicate that his treatment and his government will be in the third term, it will vary and undergo many transformations.
Samir explained the reasons for Erdogan’s different treatment of refugees, especially those coming from Syria, in several points, saying:
- These elections have shown the national face of Turkey, be it the parties allied with President Erdogan or the opposition parties, both pursuing a strongly right-leaning nationalist rhetoric and language.
-
I think that the Turkish government led by Erdogan will reduce the benefits granted to Syrians, while reaching an agreement with the Syrian government to return many of them.
Erdoğan understands that the Oglu Alliance, which demanded the return of all refugees, won more than 47.5% of the votes, and therefore a large number of Turks are calling for the return of Syrian refugees to their country.
- Erdogan will adopt soft methods to deal with refugees and return them by improving relations with the Syrian government and security in the border region, especially in the northwest region.
-
The return of Syrians to their country will not happen all at once, as Davutoglu had wished, but rather in small batches and over a longer period, and it may take the years of Erdogan’s third term .
waiting for fate
An activist on refugee rights issues in Turkey, Taha al-Ghazi, has previously said that the Syrian refugee map is electoral on the one hand, and it is also a tool in the field of domestic and foreign policy. from Turkey.
He pointed out that after the end of the first round of elections and before the second, hate speech against Syrians reached unprecedented levels, such as the posting of billboards and advertisements calling for expulsion. Syrian refugees from Turkey in public places, streets, and even on school walls.
Al-Ghazi indicated that the refugees are now afraid of the next stage of deportation cases that may affect Syrian families and families, or the publication of decisions that impose an environment that will make the Syrian refugee think about returning to his or her home. country.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
