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Over 52,000 Syrians return to their homeland from Turkiye since Assad regime's downfall last month

January 9, 2025 at 2:52 pm

Syrians in Hatay move towards the Cilvegozu Border Gate between Turkiye and Syria after the collapse of sixty-one years of Baath Party rule in Syria, on December 17, 2024. [Lale Köklü Karagöz – Anadolu Agency]

Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, announced Thursday that 52,622 Syrians in Turkiye returned to their homeland in the last month following the fall of the Baath regime, Anadolu Agency reports.

Speaking at the Cilvegozu Border Gate in Reyhanli district of Hatay province in southern Turkiye, Yerlikaya said there are 2,888,876 Syrians currently residing in Turkiye.

“Before Syria gained its freedom, an average of 11,063 Syrians returned monthly during the first 11 months of 2024 through voluntary, safe, dignified and orderly returns,” Yerlikaya said at a press briefing.

“Since Syria gained its freedom on 8 December, expected developments occurred … In the last month, 52,622 Syrians returned to their country,” he added.

Among these, there were 9,729 families, totalling 41,437 people, and the remaining 11,185 Syrians consist of individuals returning alone, Yerlikaya said, providing details about the returns.

“The number of voluntary, safe, dignified and orderly returns since 2017 has reached 792,625,” he added.

The Cilvegozu Border Gate is one of the main crossing points between Turkiye and Syria.

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