Turkiye to reopen Syria border post for returning refugees
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Turkiye is home to roughly three million refugees who fled their nation following the outbreak of the war in 2011.
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Syrian families arrive to cross into Syria from Turkiye at the Cilvegozu border gate, near the town of Antakya, southern Turkey on December 9, 2024. (AP)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Monday to restore a border post on Turkiye's southern border with Syria to assist in the repatriation of refugees following President Bashar al-Assad's removal.
"In order to ease traffic at the border, we're opening the Yayladagi border gate," Erdogan announced, referring to a crossing on the western part of the border shut down in 2013.
Turkiye, which shares a lengthy border with Syria, is home to roughly three million refugees who fled their nation following the outbreak of the war in 2011, with many hundreds eager to cross the border in the aftermath of al-Assad's ousting.
According to Erdogan, "The strong wind of change in Syria will be beneficial for all Syrians, especially the refugees. As Syria gains stability, voluntary returns will increase and the 13-year longing of the Syrians for their homeland will come to an end."
Turkiye not seeking to expand its reach in Syria
Erdogan claimed that Turkiye has no intention of expanding its reach into Syria, with its cross-border operations solely intended at safeguarding the nation from "terror attacks."
He alleged that "Turkiye has no eye on the territory of any other country. The only aim for our cross-border operations is to save our homeland from terrorist attacks," alluding to raids targeting the Kurdish-led YPG in northeastern Syria.
Since 2016, Turkiye has conducted repeated operations against Kurdish troops in the region, gaining a foothold in border districts.
Ankara claims the goal is to remove Kurdish militants, particularly the US-backed YPG (People's Protection Units).
However, Ankara sees the YPG as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency within Turkiye and is also designated as a terrorist organization by Washington and Brussels.
Erdogan stated that Turkiye would keep a careful eye on both organizations and would not let them exploit the unrest in Syria.
"The separatist terrorist organization and its extensions in Syria might be quite excited in order to make use of this situation, and we follow them very closely," he added, describing the PKK, YPG, and ISIS as "our enemies".
Turkiye defines new priorities for Syria policy, backs new regime
Turkiye will back the Syrian opposition and has defined three priorities regarding its Syria policy, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet revealed on Monday, after the new regime forces took over Damascus, marking the end of former President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
According to the report, Turkiye's priorities include political, military, and social issues Ankara plans on being directly involved in.
What are Turkiye's priorities?
1. Turkiye plans on overseeing and managing the transition process of the incoming Syrian government, as well as rebuilding a new Syria.
2. Groups like the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the YPG.
3. Turkiye will ensure the safe and timely return of Syrian refugees from its lands back to Syria.
The report emphasized that the transitional administration in Syria should focus on building a new nation free from extremism and rooted in human rights, justice, and fair representation. Turkiye, meanwhile, pledged to continue supporting the opposition in establishing a new Syria, according to sources.
