© Photo: Maria Novoselova / Vestnik Kavkaza
Over the past 7 years, nearly a million Syrian citizens returned to their homeland. The number of returned refugees has amounted to about 80,000 people since February, the head of the Turkish Ministry of Defense Hulusi Akar said, refuting allegations that the authorities allow the mass migration of Syrians to the country’s territory.
Today, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar refuted fake news published by the opposition about the mass transfers of Syrian refugees to Turkish territory. The minister stressed that Ankara is actively working to return Syrian citizens to their homeland.
He drew attention to the fact that the footage of border crossings was filmed not on the Turkish-Syrian borders, but on the border between other states, primarily between Afghanistan and Iran or Pakistan.
Hulusi Akar assured that the Turkish-Syrian borders are fortified and guarded to the highest standard. Crossing to Türkiye is not possible because of barbed wire, wide pits, walls, sensors, and constant military surveillance.
The minister clarified that in 5 years, the Turkish military has stopped over 3 mn attempts to enter Türkiye from Syria. In 7 years, over a million Syrian citizens left Türkiye for Syria, not least due to the Turkish authorities’ reconstruction efforts in Syria’s north.
Hulusi Akar said that in 3,5 months of this year, 80,000 Syrian citizens has already returned to their homeland.
