Turkiye considers relocating Syrians to cities unaffected by earthquake, report reveals

The Turkish government is reportedly considering relocating Syrians from the ten Turkish provinces impacted by last week’s earthquakes.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, which cited anonymous sources, the Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee is soon set to call on Syrians within Turkiye to relocate to other areas and cities in the country.

As the death toll from the earthquakes in south-eastern Turkiye and north-western Syria mount to over 41,000, and tens of thousands of others are injured, many of those affected are Syrians who fled the regime of Bashar Al-Assad and the conflict in their country over the past decade, with 1,126 Syrian bodies reportedly having been delivered to Syria through the Turkish border last week.

Through the sources, it was revealed that the Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee – created in 2019 with the support of Turkiye’s Interior Ministry and the Syrian Opposition Coalition – informs Syrian refugees in a draft that six months to a year are “needed for the return to normal life in Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras and Antakya”.

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It advised that “Syrian brothers whose houses are damaged should consider the situation carefully and do what is necessary to live in different regions by his/her means.” Apparently created by the Turkish Presidency of Migration Management, the image of the draft circulating on social media seems to confirm that Syrians must use their own means and contacts to relocate, and that relocation support offered by the Turkish government does not apply to them.

Meanwhile, Turkish citizens who do not want to stay in the tent camps that have been set up will reportedly be given 15,000 lira (roughly $800) in relocation support for each family by the government. Citizens are also hosted in public buildings such as sports arenas and student halls located in safe cities in western Turkiye, while Syrians cannot access those offers.

Although Syrians in the country are not required to attain a travel permit from the authorities for their relocation, they are reportedly required to register with the authorities for 90-day residence permits once they relocate and settle down.

The paper also reported that most photos of the document have been removed from social media sites, while an anonymous official told it that “The actual situation is constantly changing. It takes time to liaise with the many Syrians in the disaster area and determine their situation. Various alternatives are also noted in the process. However, we will take action on Syrians once the situation is clarified.”