The number of voluntary Syrian returns has reached 145,639 since December, when longtime dictator Bashar Assad fell, ushering in a new period in Syria, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on Monday.
Citing numbers of the Migration Directorate, Yılmaz said the number of “voluntary and dignified returns” between Dec. 9 and March 16 was 145,639, while the number reached 885,642 between the years 2017-2025.
Yılmaz shared the numbers on social media and pointed out that migration figures are dynamic and can change.
“In the first phase, returns occurred to the safe zones we created through our cross-border operations. Later, with the fall of the dictator's regime, returns sped up. With the amelioration of security standards, basic services and the economic atmosphere in Syria, which is in the process of reorganization, the numbers are expected to increase further,” he said.
Türkiye launched several cross-border military operations in the region against the terrorist groups Daesh and the PKK/YPG in the past decade, helping the Syrian opposition gain control of vast swathes of land in the north.
Since the current rulers of Syria toppled the Baathist regime, Ankara has pledged support for the recovery and reconstruction of the war-torn country. On the other hand, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly said no one would be forced to return to Syria and that they would continue hosting those wishing to stay. The government also granted a limited permit for returnees to return to Türkiye, which they called home for years.
Türkiye has also introduced new measures to streamline legal migration, including digital systems to prevent illegal employment and initiatives such as a "Tech Visa" to attract skilled workers.
Türkiye once hosted two-thirds of the total Syrian refugee population in the world. At its peak, the number of Syrian refugees was more than 3.8 million in Türkiye. Some preferred to cross into Europe illegally in pursuit of better lives. In the early years of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye housed thousands of refugees in tent camps and container cities in its southeastern cities, but over time, most refugees settled elsewhere, setting up new lives, particularly in big cities in western Türkiye.
