Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated his openness to re-establish ties with Syria on Sunday, issuing an “invitation” to return relations to “how they were in the past.”
This comes as the Turkey’s president is under increasing pressure to repatriate millions of Syrian refugees amidst a severe economic downturn and rising anti-refugee sentiment.
Anti-Syrian riots erupted in Kayseri, central Turkey, a week ago when claims surfaced that a Syrian immigrant had sexually abused a 7-year-old Syrian girl. Residents of Melikgazi overturned cars and set fire to shops, demanding that Syrians leave the country.
Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Damascus were severed more than 12 years ago, when protests in Syria devolved into civil conflict. Turkey sponsored armed opposition organizations in the northwest that sought to depose Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Previously, Turkey’s president and Assad had tight connections, even vacationing together with their families in southern Turkey in 2008. Last week, both expressed a willingness to defuse tensions and restore diplomatic relations.
Turkey and Syria have a difficult relationship.
Recent Developments:
- The Syrian civil war strained relations, leading to the suspension of diplomatic contact.
- However, in 2023, Syria and Turkey’s president agreed to set up a “roadmap” to improve ties, signaling a potential thaw in relations.
- Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed willingness to restore relations to how they were in the past.
Refugee Influx:
- Approximately 3.6 million refugees have entered Turkey since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, making it the highest number in the region.
- Türkiye continues to host the largest number of refugees worldwide, as the number of people forcibly displaced across the world due to conflict, violence and persecution hit record levels. Türkiye currently hosts some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees along with close to 320,000 persons of concern from other nationalities.
- Despite international and European Union support, this influx has led to heightened social tensions within Turkey.
Domestic Challenges:
- In the 2019 local elections, the loss of Istanbul’s mayoralty by the governing Justice and Development (AK) party was seen as a setback for Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
- Istanbul’s new mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, expressed aversion toward Syrian refugees, stating that Turkey managed them poorly and that people were unhappy.
- Some Turkish politicians view refugees as a security threat, especially since Turkey’s military operation in north-east Syria began in 2019.
EU-Turkey Relations:
- The refugee crisis strained EU-Turkey relations. Turkey signed an association agreement with the European Economic Community in 1963 and started EU accession negotiations in 2005.
- However, the incursion into north-east Syria further complicated Turkey’s EU membership perspective and raised concerns about security threats linked to ISIL/Da’esh fighters in Syria.
Tense relations between Turkey and Syria have been marked by several points of contention:
Hatay Province Dispute:
- The self-annexation of Hatay Province to Turkey in 1939 remains a significant issue.
- Syria disputes Turkey’s control over this region, considering it historically Syrian territory.
Water Disputes:
- The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) has led to water disputes between the two countries.
- Syria has raised concerns about water flow from the Euphrates River, affecting downstream regions.
Support for Kurdish Groups:
- Syria’s support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey views as a security threat, has strained relations.
- Additionally, Syria’s past support for the now-dissolved Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) has been a point of contention.
Current Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is serving since 2014. Previously, he was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014. Erdogan is a member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and is known for his conservative and Islamic-oriented policies. However, he is also criticized for his authoritarian tendencies and human rights abuses.
Turkey’s President, Erdogan has consolidated power and challenged the country’s secularist tradition. He is also known for his strong stance on issues such as Syria, Iraq, and the Kurdish issue, often taking a firm stance against Kurdish militant groups.
