İYİ Party suggests special session in parliament for refugee problem

ANKARA

Parliament should meet with the participation of political parties in a bid to address the growing refugee problem in Turkey, the leader of the İYİ (Good) Party has suggested, proposing a legislative amendment in a bid to facilitate the return of asylum seekers to their homeland.

“I want to make a call from here: It is now time to undertake necessary changes on the Foreigners and International Protection Law that regulates the status of temporary protection and irregular migration,” Meral Akşener said in a weekly address to her lawmakers in parliament on May 11.

Turkey started to implement the law in 2013 after long internal discussions and in line with the international standards, particularly with the European Union acquis.

Akşener suggested a special session at the General Assembly where all political parties would outline their proposals for the resolution of the problem and called on Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop to organize it.

“We believe that our parliament can constitute a platform for compromise and consultation for resolving this important matter,” she said.

Turkey should not expel Syrian refugees but find ways to facilitate their return, including some measures to deter their extended stay in the country, Akşener said, urging a drastic demographic change in the coming decades to the advantage of Syrians.

The İYİ Party leader also called on the government to implement a more active foreign policy vis a vis the European Union and other international organizations so that the return of Syrians could be better and more efficiently coordinated.

She said the number of foreigners has increased from 4 million to 6.5 million since 2019 due to the government’s inaction.