Turkey wants Syrian refugees to leave — will this destabilize Syria? - analysis
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the voluntary repatriation of one million Syrian refugees is on the government's agenda.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Published: MAY 4, 2022
Turkey’s ruling party is claiming it will return Syrian refugees to Syria. This could include resettling a million people in Idlib, an area in northern Syria where Ankara has influence but where extremist groups tend to run the show. This could create conflict and chaos and it could also result in the violation of the rights of refugees. However, Ankara has in the past abused Syrians and gotten a pass because it hosts millions of them, and human rights groups are afraid to critique Ankara. The Turkish ruling party also has close relationships with some western media and is able to use them to spin its policies.
Where Turkey doesn’t have a relationship with media, apparently, is in Iran. Tasnim News now has an extensive report on the “controversial” project Ankara may undertake in Syria. Why does Iran care? Because Iran supports the Syrian regime.
According to Tasnim News Agency, Erdogan's controversial action in Idlib, Syria, was widely covered by the Turkish media. “The ruling AKP, as the ruling party in Turkey, with its huge propaganda machine, seeks to make the return of Syrian refugees to their country an important epic and humanitarian action. In this regard, 50,000 housing units in Idlib were built by Turkey and handed over to the displaced Syrians,” the report said.
more............... https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-705868
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the voluntary repatriation of one million Syrian refugees is on the government's agenda.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Published: MAY 4, 2022
Turkey’s ruling party is claiming it will return Syrian refugees to Syria. This could include resettling a million people in Idlib, an area in northern Syria where Ankara has influence but where extremist groups tend to run the show. This could create conflict and chaos and it could also result in the violation of the rights of refugees. However, Ankara has in the past abused Syrians and gotten a pass because it hosts millions of them, and human rights groups are afraid to critique Ankara. The Turkish ruling party also has close relationships with some western media and is able to use them to spin its policies.
Where Turkey doesn’t have a relationship with media, apparently, is in Iran. Tasnim News now has an extensive report on the “controversial” project Ankara may undertake in Syria. Why does Iran care? Because Iran supports the Syrian regime.
According to Tasnim News Agency, Erdogan's controversial action in Idlib, Syria, was widely covered by the Turkish media. “The ruling AKP, as the ruling party in Turkey, with its huge propaganda machine, seeks to make the return of Syrian refugees to their country an important epic and humanitarian action. In this regard, 50,000 housing units in Idlib were built by Turkey and handed over to the displaced Syrians,” the report said.
more............... https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-705868
