Over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of Turkish land borders have been fortified with security walls to prevent potential migration waves as of September, the Presidential Annual Program for 2022 underlined.
Within the scope of the physical security system project initiated in 2015 to secure the country's borders, security walls were constructed along 1,005 kilometers of Turkey's land borders, accounting for 34% of borders.
In the Presidential Annual Program for 2022, published in the Official Gazette, procedures designed to prevent illegal passages were listed under "security services."
The project was initiated in 2015 with the aim of stemming the ever-increasing flow of irregular mass migration along Turkey's 2,949 kilometers of land borders. Since 2015, 837 kilometers of Turkey's 1,295-kilometer southern border have been sealed with a border wall. In the east, walls have been erected along 168 kilometers of the 1,182-kilometer border since work began in 2017.
The construction of a wall along 73 kilometers of Turkey's 2,477-kilometer eastern and southern land borders, all neighboring Iran, also continued this year. Work is ongoing to bolster the 238-kilometer stretch along the Iranian border in the east and 33 kilometers on the border shared with Iraq in the south.
In Van, which has the longest border with Iran, security forces are taking every possible precaution to prevent illegal crossings, smuggling activities and terrorist infiltrations by constantly monitoring and patrolling the border with armored vehicles.
Faced with a potential migrant wave due to the instability in Afghanistan, Turkey has maximized measures on its eastern border. Turkey is continuing efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new influx of migrants. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul.
Turkey is not the only country putting up barriers. Its neighbor Greece recently completed a 40-kilometer fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who manage to enter Turkey and attempt to reach the European Union.
Authorities say there are 182,000 registered Afghan migrants in Turkey and up to an estimated 120,000 unregistered ones. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged European countries to take responsibility in the event of an influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming "Europe's migrant storage unit."
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum-seekers attempting to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Concerns have risen over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan, due to the United States' pullout from the country and the following surge of Taliban attacks. Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.
Turkey hosts nearly 4 million refugees – more than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkey adopted an “open-door policy” for people fleeing the conflict, granting them “temporary protection” status. Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in Turkey after Syrians. Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu last week once again stressed that Turkey faces a serious irregular migration threat amid the recent developments in Afghanistan.
"There are 3.5 million Afghans in Iran. Considering that 2 million people are ready to move, and 2,000 people come daily, we are faced with a very serious threat of migration," he warned.
Soylu also visited Iran last week to sign a memorandum of understanding designed to prevent the terrorist and illegal activities the countries face, particularly along their borders.
