Turkey and Syrian refugees.. A German report reveals the "Big Lie"
October 3, 2019, 8:29 am

Turkey and Syrian refugees.. A German report reveals the Big Lie

Syrian refugees in Turkey preparing to return home

A German report has recently revealed that Turkey exaggerates the number of Syrian refugees on its territory, and that while Ankara claims to be the "world champion" in protecting refugees, there are many reasons to doubt the Turkish figures.

Dezim Institute, which is part of the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research in Berlin and supported by the Ministry of Family in Germany, has disclosed that around one million Syrians have left Turkey either to return to Syria or to countries in the European Union or other countries since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

"Are there really 3.6 million refugees in Turkey or are they way fewer?" addressed the report declaring that the verification of the number of Syrian refugees has reached around 2.7 million, and by no means can exceed 3 million.

It is noteworthy that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey is volatile and constantly changing for many reasons: mainly because of those who have returned to their country and others who have left Turkey to seek asylum in the EU and other countries. Nevertheless the numbers have changed again after the battles that swept areas in Idlib province.

Turkey: The Myth and The Truth

From the outset, Ankara has sought to market itself to others, specifically to the Arab world, as the “true protector of the Islamic Ummah”. On the other hand, it has been presenting itself to the international community as the “champion of refugee protection” and to the EU as the country with the largest number of refugees who can flock back to Europe.

The figures are an important "argument" in negotiating international support, mainly financial support, from the EU.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, refugees have been flocking to Turkey where the number of registered Syrian refugees in 2012 was around 14237. This figure rose to 1.5 million refugees in 2014 then to 3.66 million in 2019 including an estimated 415,000 babies who were born in Turkey. This means that only 3.2 million people emigrated from Syria.

According to the report, the number of refugees who left Turkey to Greece, during the period from 2014 to 2019, amounted to about 1.24 million refugees including around 616 thousand Syrians.

The Turkish Interior Ministry claimed in May that the number of Syrians who had returned to their country was 339,000.

Regardless of the various allegations and the return of Syrian refugees, by the end of 2018 the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey, including children born to Syrian refugees in Turkey, was well below 3.65 million people— the total number claimed by the Turkish regime. It is in fact close to 2.7 to 2.8 million people.

The figure may have recently risen to 3 million after the Syrian and Russian forces attack of positions in Idlib province.

However, in light of the above, all figures published by the Turkish government or international organizations appear to be flawed or even grossly misleading.

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