A migration committee of the Turkish Parliament is scheduled to visit border cities to observe the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country in the post-Assad era.
Atay Uslu, who heads a subcommittee on tackling migration and social harmony of refugees and migrants, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that they will visit the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep and Kilis, where hundreds cross into the Syrian side almost daily.
Lawmakers will first travel to Kilis next week, where they will meet officials from the local governorate and migration directorate before heading to Öncüpınar border crossing. Uslu said they would also hold talks with representatives of local businesses and civic society organizations.
“Just as Türkiye conducted the process of hosting (refugees) successfully, we will have the same successful conduct in safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees,” Uslu said.
More than 25,000 Syrians have returned home from Türkiye soon after the ouster of the Assad regime, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said last month. Uslu said the number of people who returned from Türkiye to Syria in 25 days after the fall of the Syrian regime was now around 40,000. Türkiye is home to nearly 3 million refugees who fled the civil war that broke out in 2011. Ankara is in close touch with Syria’s new leaders and is now focusing on the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, hoping the shift in power in Damascus will allow many of them to return home.
Uslu said some 400,000 displaced Syrians who took shelter in Türkiye, Jordan and Lebanon or were displaced within Syria returned to their homes since Dec. 8, 2024, according to United Nations figures. “We believe voluntary returns will increase,” he said. Uslu said they would interview Syrians to hear their views on returns. The parliamentary committee will also assess the impact of returns to Türkiye.