Some 470,000 Syrians return home: Çavuşoğlu

ANKARA

Nearly 470,000 Syrian have returned to their countries and more of them will go back when the conditions become ripe for their return, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

“Turkey cannot receive any more refugees as it does not have additional capacity to do so. We have deals for four countries to facilitate the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their countries,” Çavuşoğlu said on Nov. 4 during talks in parliament for the Foreign Ministry’s budget for 2022.

He also noted beside joint international efforts Turkey is also taking initiative to send some refugees back to their countries.

“For instance, we are sending refugees with planes to Pakistan. We have also sent a considerable number of Afghans back to their countries. Around 2,700 Afghans want to go back to Afghanistan and we are coordinating efforts [for the return of Afghans] with the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees,” Çavuşoğlu said.
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

The country, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other in the world, is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.

Çavuşoğlu separately said that the the Turkish Maarif Foundation had 80 schools in Afghanistan and 14 of them for girls.

“10 of those girls’ schools have reopened again…We have advised the government in Afghanistan to respect human rights, primarily women’s situation and girls’ education,” the minister added.