Türkiye and Migrants: The Road to Syria Leads to Europe

And no action Earthquake last Februarywho hit her hard Southern Türkiye and the Northern Syriano Turkish presidential elections in MayAnd with Erdoğan still in power, plans changed Transfer of Syrian refugees Exactly in the most beaten and military district in the region. The famous “housing program” slowed down but the plan was not abandoned. the The displacement continues as normal This is developing into a serious threat to the millions of Syrian refugees living in the country.

according to The Syrian Observatory for Human RightsAfter the elections, forced movements of refugees – even fully integrated ones – began again. Since July The pace quickened. destinationNorthern Syria, an area these people have no connection with, and thus they are being pushed into a new state of displacement.

It is estimated that around 1,000 people, including families, women and children, were transferred in July. Allegedly, different methods are used. For example, a routine visit to the Immigration Office of the Ministry of Interior to announce a change of residence may present unpleasant surprises.

A refugee is arrested for a trivial reason, taken to prison and from there taken somewhere to the border, as a result of which his family also follows him, who are now left without income.

These are people who have lived and worked for years in Turkish cities, where their children go to school and their lives are in order despite their refugee status.

Of course, the news travels quickly in the refugee quarters. Refugees from Syria fear their turn will come soon. This fear undoubtedly leads them to the decision to leave the country for Europe.

They believe – and perhaps they are right – that the skills they acquired during their integration into Turkish society will make them more acceptable to European countries.

Germany: new law on citizenship

This is supported by the German government’s recent approval of a draft law that accelerates the granting of citizenship to immigrants with an integration file.

The purpose is to solve the problem of finding manpower. This is why citizenship will be granted after five years of residency in the country, instead of the current eight. In fact, those who learn German, acquire skills and do well at school or work will be able to apply for naturalization after three years of residence.

Interestingly, more than half of the refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015 work – two-thirds of them full-time, while 70% had vocational training.

It is also worth noting that Turkish immigrants, who number about 1.5 million, will also benefit from the possibility of obtaining dual citizenship.

With this law, the German coalition government fulfills one of the obligations of the parties that decide to participate in the government coalition.

This is undoubtedly very good news for refugees from Türkiye. With the difference that in order to reach Germany, which is their goal anyway, they have to make the dangerous journey from Turkey and leave their fate in the hands of human traffickers. In the same wave, other immigrants from other Asian and African countries are also increasing.

This means more pressure on Greece and the bailout and asylum system. In addition, the granting of asylum in a country requires the refugee to remain in the country that grants him international protection, while he can only travel for a period of 90 days. As a result, they are not allowed to file a new asylum application in another country, where they arrive with these temporary travel documents.

The black sheep of the crisis

However, this is secondary information for people who are gripped by the fear of displacement in Syria, where they fled to escape the war.

in turkey One of the main disputes in the elections was their “return” to Syria. both candidates, Erdogan Kilicdaroglu promised to “expel” the Syrians, whom he blamed – and still blames – for the economic crisis and unemployment.

Syrian refugees have become the black sheep, and the situation has not changed after the elections. In late July, Erdogan, returning from a trip to the Gulf states, told reporters that there had been significant progress in implementing the plan. As he said, the construction of houses in northern Syria continues. Some 150,000 homes have already been built in this highly seismic area.

According to analysts, the next target is the municipal elections. By then, they say, Erdoğan will want to deport as many refugees as possible – in an effort to elect mayors of his own choosing.

This is because he attributes the loss of large municipalities, such as those of Constantinople and Izmir, to the fact that hundreds of thousands of the 3.6 million inhabitants Syrian refugees who found refuge in Türkiye when they were welcomed and granted citizenship.

regarding Turkish foreign policy as suchthe Erdogan He believes that the displacement of Syrians and their return to Syria will improve his relations with Damascus And Assad regime.

Finally, since the negative climate against Syrians is now well established in Turkey, many of the more than 200,000 Syrians who have obtained Turkish citizenship may wish to leave the country. They are heading to Germany, because thanks to the new law, they will more easily obtain the dual citizenship that will soon be offered to Turkish citizens.

Now it is clear: this is clearly another tool that leads to a new wave of refugees. Everything shows that the forced advance into Syria is an additional reason to put pressure on Europe’s borders.

* Sophia Voltepsi is Member of Parliament B3 for the southern sector of Athens, Deputy Minister for Immigration and Asylum, and a journalist.