STORY: Turkish expert says "mass return" of Syrian refugees unlikely at present
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 17, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:53
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Syrians at the Turkish border (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
2. SOUNDBITE (English): METIN CORABATIR, Head of the Ankara-Based Asylum and Migration Center (IGAM)

STORYLINE:

A Turkish expert has ruled out the possibility of an immediate "mass return" of Syrians to their home country after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

Metin Corabatir, head of the Ankara-based Research Center on Asylum and Migration, said while thousands of Syrians have already returned, there are still risks in Syria and a general lack of basic public services.

SOUNDBITE (English): METIN CORABATIR, Head of the Ankara-based Research Center on Asylum and Migration (IGAM)
"Some people are very enthusiastic to go immediately and a return movement has started. But this is not a mass influx or a mass return movement at the moment. Basic public services are not there yet. The economy has totally collapsed in Syria. How can they start a new life if they return to Syria? So some people prefer to wait and see."

The majority of Syrians in Türkiye hold temporary protection status and are not officially classified as "refugees." Most of them live in Istanbul, the country's largest city and financial hub, as well as in the two border cities with Syria, Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.

Despite substantial European Union-funded social and financial aid, many remain reliant on informal employment and struggle to meet their basic needs.

The lives of Syrians in Türkiye have become increasingly difficult in the past years as Turks face a cost-of-living crisis fueled by runaway inflation.

Within days after the downfall of Assad's government on Dec. 8, Türkiye quickly expanded its border crossing capacities to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)