Turkish president reiterates country will not force refugees out of country

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye will not force refugees it has given shelter out of the country, the Turkish president reiterated on Wednesday.

Those who fled persecution and war in Iraq, Syria, or elsewhere and sought protection in our country are guests, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of provincial heads of Turkiye’s AK Party.

If they want to return voluntarily, they can return, otherwise, our doors will remain open to refugees, he added.

“Turkiye will not push them into the arms of murderers,” Erdogan said, adding that hosting those who need protection is part of Turkish tradition.

Erdogan recently announced a new plan in which hundreds of thousands of homes will be built in opposition-held northern Syria, along with schools, hospitals, and other needed institutions.

Some 4 million Syrian refugees currently live in Turkey – more than any country in the world – and Erdogan said he expected the plan would draw some 1 million of them to voluntarily return to Syria to resettle.

Since 2016, the Turkish military also cleared much of the area of terrorist groups to make it safe for resettlement.

Erdogan has denounced xenophobic rhetoric and calls to expel Syrians.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected brutality.

According to the official numbers of the UN, over 350,000 people have lost their lives to the conflict but human rights groups estimate the death toll to be between 500,000-600,000.

Over 14 million had to flee their homes, becoming refugees or internally displaced, according to the EU.