Keynote 1 Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Efe, Kilis University: Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Northern Syria (Azaz Region) and the Prospects of Return
This presentation aims to provide an overview of the recent developments in northern Syria and the prospects of Syrians’ safe and voluntary return to home. The region’s ecosystem has been unravelled after the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on its own people, the looting of DAESH and finally the indiscriminate Russian bombings and the disconnection of Aleppo from the countryside. Particular attention will be paid to the Azaz and Al-Bab region, where Turkey ran Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 to establish a so-called “safe zone”. The region is home to around 350.000 IDPs and still faces many challenges, notably security threats and widely destroyed infrastructures. The presentation will address all these problems and the implications regarding return with a particular focus on the views and thoughts of Syrian refugees from Azaz, many currently residing in Kilis.
Keynote 2 Dr. Zeynep Mencutek, BICC: Returning from Turkey to Northern Syria: Policies, Practices and Experiences
In the last years, returning Syrian refugees from Turkey has been routinely politicised and remains a highly politically charged issue in the public domain. The Turkish government encourages ‘voluntary’ repatriation of Syrians to Northern Syria, while opposition parties use populist discourse by promising mass returns if elected. Meanwhile, national migration agencies and related stakeholders have institutionalised voluntary return programmes for non-Syrians. Also, certain administrative practices intentionally push Syrians and non-Syrians into legal informality and irregularity, followed by pre-removal detention and forced deportation. An intensive return/deportation operations targeting thousands of Afghan ‘irregular migrants’ are on the national news. Against this background, this presentation will focus on the policy, politics, and practices driving Turkey’s evolving national returns governance and discourses. It will also provide initial insights about the return experiences of Syrians, drawing from 25 interviews conducted with Syrian returnees living in Northern Syria and those who re-entered Turkey after their return.
Kommentar: Dr. Sinem Adar, CAT/SWP Berlin
Moderation: Dr. Franck Düvell, FFVT/IMIS.
Die Veranstaltung findet auf Englisch statt.
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