Erdogan Says Turkey Preparing Plan To Return Syrian Refugees Home

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2023) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is preparing a plan to return Syrian refugees home in order to understand when it is possible to start the process.

Earlier, Erdogan's rival in the upcoming second round of the presidential election, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said that if he wins, he intends to "say goodbye" to Syrian refugees within two years and strengthen the fight against illegal entry into the country.

"A road map for the return of refugees will be planned soon. It will be analyzed how soon their return can be ensured," Erdogan said in an interview with TRT Haber.

He said 450,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland.

"We have a plan to return another 1 million refugees there," Erdogan said.

The Turkish migration agency reported in January that 3.5 million Syrians live in Turkey, and in 2022 almost 59,000 people returned to safe areas in Syria.