Refugees must return once Syria regains peace: MHP

ANKARA

Turkey is not a camp for refugees and migrants and Syrians will return to their homeland once peace is regained, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has said, urging everyone, particularly the politicians, not to turn this issue into xenophobia.

“Sending Syrians to their own country with dignity and security should be one of the most important issues. Irregular migration should never be allowed. Voluntary return of the Syrians to their country should be secured as soon as the civil war ends and peace is maintained,” MHP chairman Devlet Bahçeli said in his weekly address to his lawmakers in parliament on May 10.

The issue of migrants has become Turkey’s soft spot for those who want to stir internal trouble, Bahçeli said. “Of course, Turkey is not a camp for refugees and migrants. We are responsible for leaving a country safe in all sense to the next generations.”

Turkey cannot handle the refugee issue for many years and there is a need for a realistic approach to the matter through nationwide policy planning, he stressed, underlining that this issue should be handled in common sense by all the political parties.

Turkey is currently hosting around 5.5 million foreigners, with around 1.4 million of them having a residence permit, Bahçeli said, citing official figures and stressing that the number of Syrians is 3.7 million and not 8 to 10 million as some politicians argue.

MHP leader appreciated the government’s efforts to construct briquette houses in safer parts of Syria for the return of the Syrians, saying, “We think building briquette houses is a valuable step. We believe there will be no refugee problem in the future of Turkey. This is our determination. The Turkish people have never turned their back to the oppressed and will not in the future.”