ANKARA — Turkish authorities have eased the country's ban on Syrians returning after visiting their homeland. While the UN and other observers welcomed the move, they also cautioned against raising expectations of mass returns.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that one adult family member from each Syrian family taking refuge in Turkey will be allowed to visit their homeland and return.

Since 2023, Turkish authorities have effectively prevented Syrians who travel home from returning to Turkey after Syrians visiting their homeland during religious holidays sparked a backlash among the Turkish public, intensifying anti-refugee sentiments in Turkey.

Turkey hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including nearly 3 million registered Syrians who fled the civil war. The number of unregistered Syrians is unknown but is estimated to be around 5 million.

While the fall of the Syrian regime and its longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 empowered more Syrians to travel to their hometowns to check on their homes, many were afraid to do so because of the no-return rule.

Under the new measure, one adult from each Syrian family will be allowed to enter and exit Turkey up to three times within a six-month period.

“Under the instructions of our president, we have also given it a name: pioneer immigrant,” Yerlikaya said Thursday.

“When a breadwinner or an adult member of the family applies to us as a pioneer immigrant, we grant permission on the same day,” he said.

The move........

© Al Monitor