The repatriation of Syrian refugees from Turkey to Syria is one of the objectives of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but Ankara denies any involvement in the Aleppo offensive.
Turkey has officially denied any involvement in the Aleppo offensive launched by various groups opposing Syrian President Bashar al Assad, however the success of the military advancement could provide Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with an important opportunity to repatriate Syrians who have been living as refugees in Turkey for years.
A consolidation of control over the northwestern part of Syria by forces supporting Turkey, which oppose the Assad regime, would allow Ankara to complete the construction of homes intended for at least a million Syrian refugees. Over three million Syrians have been living in Turkey for years, having fled the war in their country in 2011.
The project – to be funded by Qatar – was officially announced and launched in 2023. "We are building the infrastructure for the voluntary return of Syrians living in Turkey [back to their country in Syria]," said Erdogan during an inauguration venue of the initiative which initially included the construction of 240 thousand housing units.
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Banking on negative public opinion of Syrian refugees
The welcoming and hosting of Syrian migrants always received the strong support of President Erdogan, but in recent times it has become a thorn in the side of the leader.
For years there have been violent episodes conducted by sections of the Turkish population against refugees. Overall, the majority of the country has a negative opinion of Syrian refugees, seeing them as a burden on the already difficult economic situation in Turkey. This is despite Turkey's having received significant European Union funding since 2016 to manage the Syrian refugees.
The successful repatriation of migrants could strengthen Erdogan's domestic consensus for the presidential elections of 2028, following defeat at the administrative level and the success of the major opposition party CHP, which favors the expulsion of refugees.
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