Migrants and refugees in Turkey will voluntarily return to their countries once peace is established, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday.
Referring to earlier remarks made by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Erdoğan told reporters in Ankara, "What Mr. Soylu has said is true. We are not a country that shoos migrants. We embrace them," adding that the Syrians will want to return to their homes when peace is established and the construction of brick homes is completed.
Erdoğan's remarks came amid an ongoing debate about whether to allow Syrian migrants and refugees in Turkey to visit their country during the upcoming Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr) holidays. The migrants have been briefly visiting their families and relatives in areas liberated from terrorists during the holidays and returned back to Turkey. But this year, a debate emerged as Turkey deals with an influx of migrants from more conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries.
On Tuesday, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli said he thinks Syrians returning to their homes during the holidays should not return.
"Irregular migration is an unnamed invasion. Those detained must be immediately sent back," the MHP leader said, adding that if the Syrians are able to visit their homes for the holidays, then there is no reason for them to come back to Turkey.
Earlier this week, the president said Turkey has been "temporarily hosting" around 5 million migrants, including 3.5 million Syrians.
"We are striving to ensure that our Syrian brothers and sisters are able to voluntarily and honorably return to their homes, although we have been left alone," the president said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said some 500,000 Syrians have returned to their homes after the areas were liberated by the Turkish military. Turkey also prevented the illegal entry of 2,5 irregular migrants and repatriated 330,000 irregular migrants in line with international agreements and rules. He added that around 700,000 irregular migrants went to European countries from Turkey in the past five years.
Regarding restrictions on Ramadan Bayram visits, Soylu said Turkey has the prerogative to restrict them.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said Tuesday that his party will send Syrian migrants to their countries and they will "voluntarily" leave.
"They will come to visit Turkey as tourists," he said, adding that his party would mend ties with the Bashar Assad regime to facilitate their return.
Opposition Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) Chairperson Ümit Özdağ, who's known for his anti-migrant stance, also spoke on Tuesday, saying that his party is launching a process for discussions with the Assad regime for the return of Syrian migrants and refugees. He noted that former minister Şükrü Sina Gürel will lead the process to launch diplomatic talks with the regime for migrants' return.
The return of Syrian refugees has been made possible by the safe zones created as a result of Turkey's successful cross-border counterterrorism operations against the PKK's Syrian offshoot YPG and Daesh terrorists. The safe zones included the creation of 140 villages and 10 district centers within the 30-40 kilometer deep area in northern Syria, housing 5,000 and 30,000 inhabitants each, respectively.
Following the operations, Turkey has also been involved in efforts to rebuild the towns' infrastructure as well as health and educational institutions. Schools have been renovated and hospitals have been built. The activities boosted the number of Syrians returning to their homeland from neighboring countries.