Erdogan’s plan for return of Syrian refugees unlikely to succeed
Erdogan’s new plan to encourage the voluntary return of Syrian refugees promises little success as long as fighting, militia violations and insecurity continue in Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced an ambitious plan to encourage the return of Syrian refugees, a hot-button issue increasingly dominating Turkey’s agenda ahead of elections next year. But his move is hardly more than a return to an already failed project.
Three years ago, Erdogan had presented a plan at the UN General Assembly to move 2 million Syrian refugees to prospective new settlements in northern Syria, but he failed to muster international support as the plan required the creation of a safe zone and multibillion-dollar funds.
