Türkiye announced the voluntary return of about 11,000 Syrians to their country after the Feb. 6 earthquakes. Authorities denied the occurrence of any influx of displaced people after the earthquake disaster, which affected areas in northern Syria as well.
Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced on Sunday that 10,633 Syrians returned to their country voluntarily after the earthquake.
Inspecting the frontier in Hatay province and speaking with border officials, Akar said that contrary to the idea that there were intense crossings into Türkiye, border officials confirmed that Syrian citizens crossed the border in one direction to Syria.
At the beginning of his tour, Akar visited the Yayladagi border crossing in Hatay, and officials at the checkpoint confirmed that there was no crossing or influx of refugees toward Türkiye through this gate.
Türkiye allowed Syrians residing in the ten provinces hit by the Kahramanmaras earthquake in southern Türkiye to travel to their families on vacations not exceeding one month. Still, many of them confirmed that they would not return.
The first batch of Syrians living in several earthquake-affected states, especially Hatay, left the crossing in Reyhanli to visit their relatives in their country.
The Border Crossings Administration prioritized the disabled, pregnant women, the elderly, and families with children. Many of those who crossed with their belongings said they would never return to Türkiye again.
Turkish parties use Syrian refugees as a bargaining chip in the upcoming elections, which fueled the rejection of their presence.
Claims have escalated in recent months to return them to their country.
The Turkish opposition pledged to take this step “within only two years” if it won the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 14.
The issue of refugees also topped talks aimed at normalizing relations between Türkiye and the Syrian regime under the auspices of Russia.
Meanwhile, Syrians faced accusations of looting the aid in the earthquake-stricken areas in Türkiye, and some of them were attacked by angry citizens.
Far-right politician and head of Victory Party Umit Ozdag led an extremist campaign against Syrians in the country, accusing some of them of stealing the aid supplies, which were later proven false.
A video clip circulated on social media in Türkiye showed one of the rescue workers arguing with Ozdag, asking him to stop his hostility against Syrians.
The aid worker stressed that Syrians arrived at the scene to help with the rescue. Addressing Ozdag, he told him to stop this hateful rhetoric and start working with them.
A public prosecutor in Türkiye filed a lawsuit against Ozdag after he published a picture of a young man carrying a phone in the earthquake areas, claiming he was a Syrian who stole phones from destroyed houses.
The young man appeared on local media and showed his Turkish identity, explaining that he was a volunteer worker carrying his phone. He filed an official complaint against Ozdag for defaming him on social media.
Last year, the Turkish authorities banned Syrians from visiting their families back home during the Eid el-Fitr or Eid al-Adha.
Turkish opposition demanded that Syrian refugees not be allowed to return as long as they could go to meet their families safely.
Back then, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that anyone who visited his family and relatives would not be allowed to return to Türkiye again.
However, the Turkish authorities permitted them to spend vacations with their families, given the circumstances.
