Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the process of voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country has begun.
In answering questions from a group of young people at the Turkish Presidential Complex in the capital, Ankara, Erdogan said: Turkey is a country 99 percent of its population is Muslim, and there are Syrian people who were forced to leave their country because of the war and terrorist organizations.
He added, “So far, we have established more than 100,000 homes in northern Syria through our governmental institutions and civil organizations, and Syrian immigrants have begun to return to these homes.”
Erdogan criticized the statements of opposition leaders regarding the deportation of Syrian refugees to their country in the event that the opposition assumed power in Turkey.
He said, “I do not support this concept, this is unfair. Especially since the voluntary return of the Syrians has already begun, and we will provide the necessary support for them.”
Erdogan refuted the allegations of the opposition Republican People’s Party regarding the Turkish government’s provision of various facilities to the Syrians, especially in schools and universities.
He said, “There are no facilities for Syrian students, as the opposition claims. There are students with Turkish citizenship who strive hard, get good grades, and pass exams. There are doctors, engineers, and human rights activists among the Syrian refugees who came to Turkey. Is it reasonable for us to expel them? This is an inhumane and immoral behavior, and most importantly.” None of this is Islamic.”
Erdogan stressed that the Turkish security forces and the concerned authorities do not tolerate Syrians who behave badly.
It is noteworthy that Turkey currently hosts about 3 million and 700 thousand Syrian refugees, according to figures from the General Directorate of Migration.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency