Turkish Defense Minister Dismisses Opposition Leader's Remarks On Gov't Refugee Plan

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2023) Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu's remark related to Ankara's alleged intention to accept additional 10 million Syrian refugees is false and that the Turkish border is under control.

In a video published on Twitter earlier in the day, Kilicdaroglu, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main opponent in the presidential race, said that he would not "leave the country to those who contemplate importing 10 million illegal migrants (to Turkey)." He added that "tomorrow that number could be 30 million, which would threaten our existence."

"(We have) no such intentions. Do you know what 10 million are? Since 2011 and up until today, 4 million (Syrian refugees) have come to us. And now 10 million should come? Let us respect the work of Mehmetcik (Turkish soldiers). We have no secrets. Let politicians and journalists come and have a look. What is the population of Syria? Where would 10 million come from? Our borders are under control. The activities (on the border) are clear and obvious. Our negotiations with Syria continue as well. We negotiate via three (diplomatic) channels. We believe that the problem would be solved," Akar told CNN Turk broadcaster.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in turn, also said on Tuesday that Kilicdaroglu's remarks were false.

"Why is Mr. Kilicdaroglu lying? (It is) impossible to understand. There is the UN's data, after all. A man who seeks power over Turkey may not lie or falsify information when there is clear and publicly available data. As of Today, there are 5 million refugees in Turkey. What 10 million (is Kilicdaroglu talking about)? There would be on-one left in Syria, everybody would be living here with us," Cavusoglu told tv100 broadcaster.

He added that the government was drafting a road map on the refugees' return to Syria and contacting the Syrian government on that issue.

"We, too, believe that the Syrians should be sent home, but not 100% of them," he 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.

Turkey held parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14. The first round saw incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan win 49.24% of votes and his main competitor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 45.07%. A runoff is set for May 28.