Istanbul, Jan 5
Nearly 40,000 Syrians have returned to their homeland from Turkey since the overthrow of Syria's Bashar al-Assad administration on December 8, 2024, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced.
Bolat made the remarks in an address to reporters during his visit to the Cilvegozu Border Gate in the southeastern Hatay province on Saturday, where he conducted inspections in a buffer zone, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Bolat, 27,941 Syrians had returned home through the three border gates in Hatay since December 9 last year.
"When including those recorded at other customs gates, nearly 40,000 returns of Syrians have occurred," he said.
Bolat further explained that Syrian refugees in Turkey generally wish to assess the conditions in their home regions before making a return. To support this process, the Turkish Interior Ministry has introduced a new practice, allowing Syrian people to visit their regions temporarily up to three times within six months.
Bolat believes it will help accelerate the return process of the refugees.
Turkey shares a 900-km borderline with Syria and currently holds millions of Syrian refugees.
Meanwhile, Syria's new administration gained full control of multiple border crossings in northern Aleppo province on Saturday, following a meeting between its General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and a Turkish delegation, state-run SANA news agency reported.
The meeting addressed the transfer of four key crossings -- Jarabulus, al-Rai, Bab al-Salama, and al-Hammam -- to the new administration, SANA quoted Mazen Aloush, director of relations of the General Authority, as saying.
"As of this morning, these crossings are fully managed by the new Syrian government," Aloush said.
These crossings had largely been under the control of Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups during the Syrian civil war.
The move came as Syria navigates a sensitive political transition following the downfall of the previous government on December 8, 2024.
- IANS