Human migration, whether forced or voluntary, has historically transformed societies and left permanent social, cultural, political, economic and linguistic impacts on the migrant-receiving countries. This phenomenon can be seen in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia, where the movements of millions of people have not only shaped countries but also continents, as in the Great Atlantic Migration from Europe to North America.
Contemporary examples of human migration also continue to leave a significant impact on the affected regions. A very recent example was seen during the forced migration of Syrians escaping the conflict in 2011 into Türkiye, among other neighboring states like Lebanon. Since day one, Türkiye has employed an open-door and open-heart policy in dealing with more than 4 million Syrian refugees – while European countries have raised barbed wire fences along their borders or left them to die trying to cross the Aegean.
Türkiye’s geo-political situation makes it an attractive transit point for irregular migrants from the conflict zones in Asia and the Middle East to cross into Europe, with its high welfare and attractive quality of life. By opening its borders to millions of Syrian refugees and being a point of transfer for thousands of irregular migrants, Türkiye also faces many security challenges along its borders and within its borders.
Of course, the hosting of such a large number of refugees has become a burden Türkiye has shouldered alone, and there has been a cost of hosting the Syrian refugees on many levels, be it socially, politically or economically.
Here, it is important to highlight that despite the presence of Syrian refugees in Türkiye for more than a decade, the effectiveness of Ankara’s migration policy for them or the integration policy is questionable. Being a migrant-receiving country is relatively new for the modern Turkish republic, though historically its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, had opened its doors to many peoples, including thousands of European Jews escaping Spain in the 15th century.
However, Turkish policymakers need to look at the recent successful examples and employ a proactive policy regarding the domestic issues of Syrian refugees. In other words, it has been more than a decade now and many Syrians are here to stay. Their integration into society in many different tiers is crucial for social, political and economic cohesion. Such a critical issue, as seen in the example of the Syrian refugees, does not allow room for loopholes or gray areas, as it is easily exploitable by parties or segments of society with xenophobic or racist agendas.
Having said that, despite the length of time and the number of Syrian refugees present in the country, it must be proudly highlighted that there have not been many issues regarding social acceptance or disorder at large. A recent incident in Kayseri province of central Anatolia has re-triggered the anti-refugee agenda in the country with riots taking place in some provinces. Of course, there has been discomfort about their presence in some parts of the society, coupled with the current economic situation in the country. Yet, while the voice of the racist rhetoric is louder than their impact on society as a whole, the push by some far-right opposition political parties has further elevated the anti-refugee sentiment across the country.
In addition, following the events in Kayseri, there have been provocations both inside Türkiye and also in the moderate opposition-held areas in northern Syria. A significant disinformation campaign has been launched on social media, which has further added to the negative sentiment and perception about refugees and fanned the flames for those seeking to create further chaos.
On the other hand, the firm stance of the authorities against the rioters and those attempting to exploit the situation through provocations as well as the strong messages issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have shown that the Turkish state will not allow any attempts to exploit individual crimes to create disorder and chaos or violent actions against the Syrians. In this sense, the rise of far-right tendencies is not parallel to the rise of far-right sentiments in Europe. In other words, the politics of the center have not yet bowed to the rhetoric of the far-right on refugee issues, despite the rise in the government's nationalist stance in other security-related areas or foreign policy.
“A chaotic game was created on an extremely disgraceful incident in Kayseri. We know very well who created the game that was designed with the remnants of the separatist terrorist organization. Neither we nor our Syrian brothers will fall into this trap. I want to say that we will not bow down to vandalism and racism,” Erdoğan said following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
One thing is clear, the provocation will not serve any efforts for the return of Syrians back to their homeland or stability in Türkiye or northern Syria. In fact, the rioters are aggravating fault lines in society at a critical time when Türkiye is trying to establish foreign policy goals through normalization with neighboring states and also economic goals. It is hard to say that it is a mere coincidence that these provocations come at a time when there have been talks about the Ankara-Damascus normalization of ties or Türkiye and Iraq’s willingness to clear the PKK terrorists from northern Iraq through joint mechanisms. Or, the attacks on any Arab tourists at a time when Turkiye is bearing the fruits of tourism and trying to draw investments into the country.
Of course, the chaos is meant to raise questions about the effectiveness of Ankara’s policies toward Syrian refugees in Türkiye. However, it should not be forgotten that the burden of the Syrian conflict has not been shared effectively by Western countries and that Turkiye acts as a buffer zone. This burden has not been shared economically or politically to create a solution or support the attempts to find permanent political stability in Syria. Instead, the West’s political and military support for terror elements in northern Syria, like the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, has furthered destabilized the region, pushing people out of their homes.
The issue of Syrian refugees in Türkiye is very complex, requiring very detailed, effective and long-term proactive solutions and policies. Yet, it is also evident that the problem of Syrian refugees will persist if a long-term political solution is not established in Syria with the support of the whole international community, beginning with those who are directly involved on the ground in Syria.
Türkiye seeks only stability in Syria and respects its territorial integrity more than any other actors involved in the conflict. As such, it will ensure a military presence in northern Syria to eliminate any threats to its own sovereignty and security. Both stability and peace as well as the safe return of Syrian refugees can be established through a political solution that also seeks to eliminate terrorism from within Syria's borders that poses a threat to Türkiye. If Ankara and Damascus can agree on the terms and establish common ground for these goals, then this will also contribute to minimizing the issues of Syrian refugees domestically in Türkiye.
