Politics
Nearly half a million return to post-Assad Syria from Türkiye
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Sunday that 474,018 Syrian nationals returned to their country from Türkiye after Dec. 8, 2024. “Since 2016, the number of Syrians voluntarily returning has reached (more than) 1.2 million people,” Yerlikaya said in a social media post on his NSosyal account.
The numbers are significant as they show refugees who have called Türkiye home since the unrest began in the country’s southern neighbor more than a decade ago are eager to return home. Most refugees went on to build new lives and families expanded over time. They had little prospect of returning home as the country succumbed to further devastation due to years of conflict.
The fall of the Baathist regime last December paved the way for the return of refugees from Türkiye, which at one time hosted the largest Syrian refugee community.
Yerlikaya said developments since December accelerated the return while praising Türkiye’s migration management model. “Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the migration management, based on Türkiye’s historic experience, humanitarian approach and rational point of view, set an exemplary model. We exert great sensitivity in voluntary return processes of our Syrian brothers and sisters,” Yerlikaya said in his post.
Türkiye eased restrictions on its border crossings with Syria after the fall of the Baathist regime, but the number of returnees fluctuated between 1,300 and 1,400 people daily initially.
Authorities were expecting a climb in returns when schools started summer recess in June and projections proved true. After June 20, daily crossings reached 2,500. At one point, numbers receded due to the Iran-Israel conflict that threatened to push the region into another episode of turmoil, but following a fragile cease-fire between the two countries, crossings increased again. The border gates have a capacity allowing the crossing of 3,000 people daily as they undergo comprehensive checks before traveling into Syria.
Türkiye expects more Syrians will return home soon, with the return of Syrians working as seasonal laborers in fields and orchards across Türkiye, from Mersin and Antalya to the provinces of Burdur and Isparta.
The wide-scale destruction, including basic infrastructure, remains a major barrier to returns. According to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), some 13.5 million Syrians remain displaced internally or abroad.
Syria’s conflict displaced around half the prewar population, with many internally displaced people seeking refuge in camps in the northwest.
With the recent lifting of Western sanctions, the new Syrian authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the U.N. estimates could cost more than $400 billion.
Refugees in Lebanon, Germany
Elsewhere, more than 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland from neighboring Lebanon this year following the fall of the Baathist regime, a U.N. official told AFP. Lebanese authorities recently introduced a plan offering $100 in aid and exemptions from fines for refugees leaving the country, provided they pledge not to return as asylum seekers.
“Since the beginning of this year, we’re looking at about 200,000 Syrians who have gone back, most of them on their own,” said Kelly Clements, deputy high commissioner at the UNHCR, earlier this month. “That number is increasing very quickly,” she told AFP in an interview.
While many Syrians are heading back to Hama, Homs and Aleppo, most refugees remain in Lebanon, where humanitarian needs remain high amid shrinking aid budgets. Clements stressed the UNHCR was not encouraging returns, describing it as “an individual choice for each family to make.” Lebanese authorities estimate that the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The U.N. says it has registered more than 755,000.
UNHCR support for returnees includes small-scale housing repairs, cash assistance and core relief items, though more intensive reconstruction is beyond the agency’s capacity.
About 80% of Syrian housing was damaged during the civil war, with one in three families needing housing support, according to Clement.
The majority of Syrians who fled the 14-year civil war to Lebanon remain there, she noted, with needs remaining high as humanitarian aid decreases. “You see the Lebanon budget decreasing, you see the Syrian budget increasing,” she said, pointing out, however, that the UNHCR’s 2025 plan only reached a fifth of its needed funds. The agency is unable to determine whether Syria as a whole was safe to return to, she said, as parts of Syria were “safe and peaceful” while other parts were “less secure.”
The rise in returns is also evident in Germany. The German Interior Ministry told dpa that the number of returns, on the other hand, was still relatively low. The low level of returns is linked to security risks and the heavily destroyed infrastructure following the civil war, aid organizations have reported.
By the end of August 1,867 Syrians had left Germany with federal assistance, up from 804 at the end of May. Returns are also supported through state-level programmes, while others depart without official aid. Janine Lietmeyer, a board member of World Vision Germany who visited Syria in August, said families often struggle with the decision to return. She noted that relative normality in central Damascus contrasts sharply with hardship in other regions, making reintegration difficult.
For the returnees, in addition to the still difficult security situation in some regions, fundamental questions arise, such as: “Is there a functioning school? How many hours a day do I have electricity? Are there any housing options at all?”
Lietmeyer said that in some former opposition strongholds, practically all houses are destroyed. Residual munitions make staying in these areas dangerous.
At the end of July, according to the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR), just under 955,000 Syrian nationals were living in Germany, about 20,000 fewer than at the beginning of the year.
However, this does not mean that Syrians are leaving the country in large numbers.
The Federal Statistical Office recorded only 1,562 departures to Syria in the first five months of this year. However, not everyone who leaves deregisters, which leads to delays in updating the AZR data.
Last year, around 83,150 Syrians became German citizens, Interior Ministry data showed. Figures for 2025 are not yet available.
Many of the refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015 or 2016 now meet the criteria for naturalization, from securing their own livelihood to German language skills. At the same time, new asylum applications continue: Between January and August, 17,650 Syrians applied for protection at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
However, since the change in the German government, applications from Syrian nationals are generally not being decided upon, except for a few exceptions and cases where it is clarified whether another European country is responsible for the procedure.
This is justified by the fact that the situation in Syria is still subject to significant changes. This delay has resulted in 53,187 cases from Syrians accumulating at the authority, with a decision still pending. The Foreign Office did present an updated report on the situation in Syria at the end of May, which is intended to help BAMF with its decisions on asylum applications.
The only Syrians whose protection status BAMF is now deciding on, according to a directive from the Interior Ministry from this summer, are criminals and so-called threats, namely, people suspected of a serious, politically motivated crime.
They do not yet expect to have rapid deportation, even though Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has stressed that he wants to make progress in this area.
There have been no deportations from Germany to Syria since 2012. “The Federal Ministry of the Interior is working intensively to enable returns to Syria, as agreed in the coalition agreement and to support the states in this,” said a spokesperson.
Damaged vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla are being repaired in Türkiye’s Antalya after an Israeli attack in international waters, with volunteers working to prepare the ships for another voyage toward Gaza.
Some of the vessels were left with damaged engines, broken masts and torn sails after the attack. They were later brought to Antalya, where local and international volunteers are carrying out repairs at a shipyard.
Two vessels have already been repaired and sent to Italy as part of preparations for another Gaza-bound mission, said Sümeyra Akdeniz Ordu, a board member of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
“We are trying to recover the ships drifting at sea one by one. We are carrying out a rescue mission,” Ordu told Anadolu Agency (AA). “We are repairing these ships so they can sail to Gaza again.”
Fourteen flotilla vessels are currently in Antalya, Ordu said, adding that volunteers from different countries were helping coordinate and repair the ships.
She said each vessel had a special significance for the activists and that they were treating the ships “like their own children” as they worked to restore them.
The damage was extensive, Ordu said, describing broken masts, damaged engines and cut hoses. She also said the sails had been torn with knives.
“The mast was broken, surface cleaner and coffee had been poured into the engines, and the hoses on each ship had been cut one by one,” she said. “They caused this damage by ramming them with larger ships.”
The repairs have been difficult because of the extent of the damage, but volunteers have continued working, Ordu said.
Türkiye has provided a safe port for the repair effort, she added.
Ordu said the activists remained determined to continue their efforts despite the damage to the vessels.
“If the enemy does not give up, we cannot give up,” she said. “We are trying to be a voice here for our Palestinian friends.”
She said the damage to the vessels showed what she described as the violence and hostility directed at the flotilla.
“We, too, insist on continuing every form of resistance,” Ordu said.
Türkiye condemned a drone attack on a power distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, reiterating its support for Saudi Arabia amid renewed regional tensions.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), condemned the attack on Friday, saying targeting infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque was unacceptable.
“Attacks targeting our sacred values are illegitimate acts directed against all Muslims,” Çelik said in a social media post, adding that Türkiye strongly supported Saudi Arabia’s security and stability.
The targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second-holiest site. The attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity network.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack, saying strikes targeting civilian infrastructure and threatening Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security should “cease immediately and unconditionally.”
The ministry reiterated Türkiye’s support for Saudi Arabia and called on parties to avoid steps that could further escalate tensions in the region.
“We reaffirm our strong support for Saudi Arabia and emphasize the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions in the region,” the statement said.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Friday separately condemned the strike and said Türkiye would continue to stand by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage indicated Houthi involvement in the Sept. 29 attack.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al Maliki said the targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the Muslim holy city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
Earlier on Thursday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, also condemned the attack on Medina.
The OIC described the targeting of vital infrastructure and facilities as “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites,” as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.
Bashiqa-Zilkan, a key Turkish base in Iraq, will soon be handed over to Iraqi authorities while Turkish troops are expected to withdraw from the country. The development, which comes amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, which remained there as part of an anti-Daesh coalition, signals the start of a new era for Iraq and Türkiye. The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday that the handover of the base did not mean an end to cooperation with Iraq and, on the contrary, Türkiye would continue supporting Iraq’s security and stability.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed earlier this month to deepen security cooperation, restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and begin the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Baghdad under an agreed timetable.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the steps in a joint statement following talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The ministry said Türkiye welcomed steps to ensure state authority in Sinjar. The base was set up in 2015 to help Iraq fight against Daesh and later maintained its presence when the terrorist group PKK sought to replace Daesh following the liberation of Sinjar.
“These steps will contribute to normalization of the region, establishing an environment of security and stability and a terror-free region,” the ministry said, using an expression referring to Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, which aims to disarm the PKK.
The statement also said it was decided to gradually hand over the compound to the central government in Baghdad, “based on improvement of security in Sinjar.”
“Our country, as it did in the past, stands with our neighbor Iraq in terms of maintaining an environment of security and stability. Throughout future contacts, we are planning to take steps that will further advance military and security cooperation. We will continue supporting Iraq’s armed forces in increasing military capacity, sharing know-how in counterterrorism and in the fields of military training and defense industry cooperation, based on bilateral agreements,” the ministry stated.
Ayhan Sarı, an assistant professor at the Turkish-German University and a security and foreign policy expert at the Turkish Research Foundation (TAV), noted that Türkiye’s withdrawal was linked to ending the PKK’s presence in Sinjar and the re-establishment of Baghdad’s authority there.
Sarı told Daily Sabah that Türkiye has been in Iraq as an exercise of its right to self-defense under international law, particularly Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right to individual and collective self-defense against armed attacks. “Türkiye’s presence in Iraq has been due to the PKK threat in the north. (The dissolution) of the PKK will remove the need to remain in Iraq,” Sarı said.
He noted that the PKK and other terrorist groups had, for years, filled the power vacuum that emerged in Iraq’s northern region following the beginning of the Iraq War.
“Iraq’s central government claims it can find a solution to this vacuum through recent steps and establish full authority within its borders after the U.S. withdrawal,” Sarı said.
A U.S.-led coalition deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago against Daesh formally concluded its mission on Wednesday. Daesh was largely expelled from Iraq and Syria, also thanks to Türkiye’s cross-border operations in Assad-era Syria, but U.S. forces remained. Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement two years ago to wind down the mission.
Sarı said it was only natural that Türkiye was supportive of Iraq’s steps to ensure security on its own, since Ankara was committed to developing good relations with its neighbors and centered its foreign policy on peace and stability.
“As it did in Syria, Türkiye sides with central authority, stability and security in Iraq. Türkiye will support this move and will do whatever it can to ensure that this mission succeeds in maintaining stability and security, based on its neighborly relations,” he said.
Sarı added that Iraq’s efforts were compatible with Türkiye’s foreign policy and plans. “Iraq’s success will also mean the complete expulsion of the PKK from that country. This expulsion, removal of this malignant tumor between Türkiye and Iraq, will certainly add momentum to Turkish-Iraqi relations,” he also stated.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new legislative year at the Turkish Parliament on Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed a law passed by Parliament on terror-free Türkiye, which involves the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK.
“Consensus on a terror-free Türkiye has upset the country’s foes. (Terror-free Türkiye) is already having a deterrent effect on Türkiye’s foes and is empowering the country,” Erdoğan said.
The president also urged other political parties to strengthen the “home front” amid regional tensions and reach a “grand Türkiye consensus.”
The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration was approved by Parliament in August following months of political consultations over the government’s terror-free Türkiye initiative. The 12-article legislation received broad parliamentary backing, with 468 lawmakers voting in favor, 88 against and six abstaining. It mainly involves deferral of sentences and prosecution, as part of the initiative that paved the way for the dissolution of the PKK.
For decades, the PKK remained the main security threat for Türkiye, and its violent campaign is blamed for the deaths of thousands of people and immense economic losses, especially in southeastern Türkiye. Apart from small nationalist parties, almost all political parties openly supported the initiative, something rare in polarized Turkish politics.
“The era of opposition solely based on opposing what the government did is over. It is a grave mistake to reduce politics to antagonizing the rivals, to a war of attrition, instead of making it a race in offering the best public services. Regional and global developments require us to pursue a new style of politics,” Erdoğan told Parliament amid constant applause from lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The main opposition New Party (YP) left Parliament’s general assembly hall as Erdoğan took the floor.
“We have two options now: We will either continue with the old way of politics focusing on polarization, or we will build new politics based on finding common ground, finding consensus amid competition,” he said.
“If we are meant to make Türkiye great and strong again, if we are meant to utilize historic opportunities, we have to adapt to this paradigm shift altogether and without losing more time,” he said.
The president said they did not expect all political parties to fully align or have the same opinion.
“Different views are certainly the wealth of Türkiye, Turkish democracy. But all political parties should prioritize Türkiye. Every party should draw power from its own dynamics, its grassroots, to carry out ‘Türkiye-oriented politics,'” Erdoğan said.
“Reconciliation and tolerance should replace conflict and polarization. We have to find common ground on matters essential for every member of our nation. This is what we call the ‘grand Türkiye consensus,'” Erdoğan added.
New constitution
The president also focused on drafting a new constitution. “The goal of a new and civilian constitution is a struggle for Turkish democracy to prove its maturity. Our esteemed Parliament is competent and authorized to draft a constitution under all circumstances and in every period. A new constitution that will broaden Türkiye’s horizons will be the product not of a politics of polarization, but of a new politics based on competition within consensus. Our nation’s longing for a new constitution must not be held hostage by manufactured fears. Our position regarding the first four articles of the Constitution currently in force is clear. Rolling up our sleeves for a new and civilian constitution worthy of the ‘Century of Türkiye’ is a genuine test of sincerity for everyone. I hope the current legislative year will be a year of constitutional reform that expands Türkiye’s opportunities and potential,” he said.
Since the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, constitutional design has served as the backbone of the country’s legal system. The current Constitution, adopted in 1982, has been repeatedly amended over the decades, most notably in 2017, when a national referendum paved the way for the country’s transition from a parliamentary model to an executive presidential system.
Despite numerous amendments over the decades, replacing the 1982 Constitution with a new, civilian-drafted charter remains a prominent issue in Türkiye’s political debate.
Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş have repeatedly advocated for a new civilian constitution, arguing that the existing charter retains the legacy of military rule under which it was drafted despite extensive subsequent amendments.
Türkiye condemned Thursday a drone attack by Houthis on a power station in the Muslim holy city of Medina, reaffirming its support for Saudi Arabia.
The targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second-holiest site. The attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity network.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack.
“We strongly condemn the Houthis’ attack on civilian infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“These provocative attacks, which threaten Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security and target the sacred values of the Islamic world, must cease immediately and unconditionally,” it said.
Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the Muslim holy city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions.
“We reaffirm our strong support for Saudi Arabia and emphasize the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions in the region,” the statement said.
Earlier Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, also condemned the attack on Medina.
The OIC described the targeting of vital infrastructure and facilities as “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites,” as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.
The organization affirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia in measures taken to protect its territory, security and stability, defend Islamic holy sites and safeguard citizens and residents.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said the drone attack constituted “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its security and stability.”
The Saudi-led coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.
Houthis denied the accusation.
The latest escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a U.N.-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to push back the Houthis.
Turkish authorities detained Eyüpsultan Mayor Mithat Bülent Özmen and 27 other suspects earlier Friday as part of a corruption investigation involving the Istanbul district municipality, prosecutors said.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said detention orders were issued for 28 suspects over allegations including membership in a criminal organization, receiving and giving bribes and bid rigging.
All 28 suspects were detained in simultaneous operations carried out by financial crimes police, according to the prosecutor’s office. Authorities also conducted searches and seizures at addresses linked to the suspects and searched the Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run Eyüpsultan Municipality building.
Prosecutors said the investigation was being conducted in coordination with the Ankara Police Department’s Financial Crimes Investigation Branch.
“The investigation continues in a comprehensive and meticulous manner,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Özmen, who serves as mayor of Istanbul’s Eyüpsultan district, was among those taken into custody.
The detentions are part of an ongoing investigation, and no court has ruled on the allegations against the suspects.
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