Turkey To Open Syrian Border Gates For Repatriation Of Refugees, Strictly Monitor Terrorist Groups

Turkey - Syria border gates in Yayladagi. (Wikimedia Commons/Vikibarizer)

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey would open a border gate on the southern border with Syria to manage safe and voluntary repatriation for millions of Syrian refugees who are accommodated in the country, along with the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's administration.

Speaking at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, President Erdogan reiterated that his country is ready to support the rebuilding of Syria in any way it can.

rebel forces captured the capital Damascus on weekends, marking the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government which then sought asylum to Russia, after 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his harsh family's rule.

"The strong winds of change in Syria will benefit all Syrian citizens, especially refugees," President Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Daily Sabah December 10.

"Along Syria has gained stability, voluntary return will increase, and the longing of the Syrian people for 13 years for their homeland will end," he said.

Previously, Turkey welcomed Syrian refugees with open arms in the early years of the Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011, hosting the largest number of refugees in the world.

The fall of Presdien Assad has sparked widespread joy among 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Hundreds of them gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey on Monday, eagerly awaiting their return home.

Turkish officials have not said how many Syrians have returned since the fall of Assad.

"To prevent traffic jams and smooth traffic, we are opening the border gate of Yaylada totaling," said President Erdoyan, referring to the intersection on the western edge of the border which has been closed since 2013.

"We will also manage the processing of voluntary repatriation of immigrants in a way that is in accordance with our acceptance," he added.

On the other hand, President Erdogan said Turkey would not allow new terrorist groups to appear on its border.

He added that Turkey is not interested in expanding its reach to Syria, with cross-border operations aimed only at protecting the country from terrorist attacks.

"Turkey is not targeting other countries' territory. Our only cross-border operation goal is to save our homeland from a terrorist attack," he said, referring to an attack targeting the YPG, a PKK branch terrorist group based in northeastern Syria.

PKK is also blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

President Erdogan said Turkey would closely monitor the two groups and would not allow them to take advantage of the situation in Syria.

"Separatist terrorist organizations and their expansion in Syria may be very excited to take advantage of this situation, and we are watching them very closely," he said.

The government said Turkey would work so that the Syrian migrants it accommodated could return home safely and for the rebuilding of the country.

They said they wanted the new Syrian government to be inclusive and so that the Syrian citizens could determine their own future.

"We will continue our efforts to ensure safe and voluntary repatriation of Syrian citizens and rebuild the country," said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.