Ankara offers citizenship to Syrian refugees

Turkey is preparing to offer citizenship to Syrian refugees, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, Financial Times‎ reported.

Speaking in Kilis, a town in southern Turkey that has seen its population doubled by those fleeing the civil war in neighbouring Syria, the Turkish leader said that the country’s interior ministry was taking steps to offer citizenship to those who wanted it.

“Tonight, I want to give some good news to my brothers and sisters here,” he said at a meal to break the Ramadan fast attended by Syrian refugees. “Among our brothers and sisters, I believe there are those who would like to obtain citizenship of the Turkish Republic. Our interior ministry is taking steps in that regard.” He added: “Turkey is your home, too.”

According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), there are currently 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. At the same time, as Financial Times wrote, Erdogan did not specify whether all of the 2.7m refugees registered as living in Turkey would be able to apply for citizenship, nor did he set out the eligibility criteria or how long the process would take. While Turkey announced in January that it would grant Syrians the right to apply for work permits if their employer will sponsor them, human rights groups say that uptake has been minimal.

A senior Turkish official said the president’s remarks represented a “statement of intent” and that the government was still undertaking preliminary work.

As FT notes, Erdogan’s comments raise questions about the fragile deal struck between Turkey and EU to halt the flow of people using smugglers to reach Europe. In return for Ankara’s co-operation, Brussels promised a series of incentives, including granting visa-free travel for Turkish passport holders to Europe’s borderless Schengen zone.

"EU leaders, many of them facing pressure from the extreme right amid growing public hostility to immigration, are likely to be reluctant to extend the exemption to Syrians for fear that they would plan to settle in Europe or that Isis operatives would travel to the continent to commit terror attacks," the article says.

It also states that granting full citizenship to Syrians could go some way to improving their living conditions and legal rights. However, it would be highly controversial among Turkish citizens and Mr Erdogan’s political opponents. Critics claim that Syrians granted citizenship by the ruling Justice and Development party would be likely to show their gratitude by lending the party their support at elections. Erdogan Toprak, an MP with the opposition Republican People’s party, told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet earlier this year: “There will be over 1 million new voters in the 2019 elections if the government goes through with the proposal, which will in turn change the outcome of the elections,” FT concludes.