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Turkey’s endless Syrian refugee crisis

There may be a limit to Turkey’s open-door policy for Syrian refugees, one that is taxing Turkey’s economy and society.

Syrian refugees are seen in a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey, near Idlib January 29, 2013, in this picture provided by Shaam News Network. Picture taken January 29, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Najdet Qadour/Shaam News Network/Handout (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT SOCIETY IMMIGRATION POVERTY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR  EDITORIAL U
Syrian refugees are seen in a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey, near Idlib, Jan. 29, 2013. — REUTERS/Muhammad Najdet Qadour/Shaam News Network

With the Syrian civil war well into its third year, and no end in sight to the bloody conflict that has uprooted millions of people from their towns and villages, Turkey finds itself facing a growing Syrian refugee crisis that analysts are predicting will result in social tensions as patience among Turks starts wearing thin and the limits of people's hospitality are reached.

Talking to Public Broadcasting Services’ (PBS) Charlie Rose earlier this week, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there were over 700,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey, adding that only 200,000 were in official camps while the rest were spread out across the country.

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