Turkey eyes eventual reduction of Syrian refugees

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said on Friday it would be necessary to eventually reduce the number of Syrian refugees living in camps across the country.

“We are not considering increasing the number of people living in the camps. It may even be necessary to reduce their numbers over time,” Akdag told Anadolu Agency.

“We want and expect them to return to their own country after political stability is established in Syria. But we do not know how long this will take. Therefore, it is necessary to harmonize [the refugees] with our society,” Akdag added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and in excess of 10 million displaced, according to the UN.

Akdag said Turkey was hosting four million refugees, 3.2 million of who were Syrian citizens.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) hosts 250,000 Syrian refugees alone, he added.

Akdag said a number of Turkish ministries were working together on projects to help refugees acclimatize to Turkish society.

He also recalled Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu’s remarks in which he said the crime rate for Syrian refugees was no different to that for Turkish citizens.

“We need to live in peace with these more-than-three million people here and make sure they continue their personal development, their family development and, when occasion serves, return to their own country,” he said.

Akdag added Turkey was also supporting camps in Syria itself where the Turkish army, working in tandem with the Free Syrian Army, had purged the border area of terrorists during Operation Euphrates Shield.

These projects are supported by AFAD and the Turkish Red Crescent, he added.

“We are trying to keep them on their own feet by supporting them in places cleansed of Daesh and controlled by the Free Syrian Army.

“It is not always about giving a fish; it is necessary to teach to how to catch a fish. This is our current policy,” he said.