Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated on Tuesday that Turkey and Jordan will work together to help Syrians voluntarily return to safe parts of the country. The diplomat added the Syrian crisis was one of the most important topics on the agenda among other regional issues, including Libya and Afghanistan, in his meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi in Amman. Jordan was underlined to play a significant role in the stability of the region.
Çavuşoğlu’s Jordanian counterpart, Ayman al-Safadi, said the burden of hosting Syrians cannot be placed only on neighboring countries. Al-Safadi called on the international community to assume their responsibility for providing adequate conditions for Syrian refugees.
Backing the opposition against the Assad regime since a civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Turkey has followed an open-door policy to welcome Syrians fleeing the country. Today, Turkey hosts around 3.6 million Syrian refugees under temporary protection status. Turkey hosts Syrian migrants more than any other country in the world. It also leads humanitarian aid efforts for Syrians in Turkey and in opposition-controlled areas of northern Syria.
In May, at least 400,000 Syrians living in Turkey were announced to voluntarily return to their home country. Hosting nearly 700,000 displaced Syrian migrants, 93 Syrians voluntarily returned from Jordan to Syria in 2021. In Turkey, this number was recorded as 14,774.
Çavuşoğlu said Turkey and Jordan have been the most affected countries by the political and economic crisis in Syria. He said finding a solution to the Syrian crisis and ensuring the voluntary and safe return of Syrian asylum-seekers is a common priority of both countries.
