Erdogan’s steps to ensure Syrians return home

Last Updated on December 13, 2024 9:47 am

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the opening of the Yayladagi border gate to ensure the safe and voluntary return of millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

He made the announcement on Monday (December 9), a day after Syrian rebels seized Damascus, which abruptly ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters reports.

Syrian rebel forces captured the capital Damascus on Sunday, ending Syria’s 13-year civil war and six decades of dictatorship by the Assad family. Bashar al-Assad has now fled the country and taken refuge in Russia. Assad’s fall is seen as a major turning point for the Middle East.

“We are opening the Yayladagi border gate so that there is no crowding and movement is easier,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on Monday. The Yildirim crossing, located near Syria’s northwest border, has been closed since 2013 due to fighting near the border.

The Turkish president said the voluntary return of refugees would be carried out in line with the process we have been taking them through.

Earlier on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country would work for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

Turkey, a member of the Western military alliance NATO, is home to about three million Syrian refugees. The country is the largest host country for Syrians fleeing the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.