Turkey maintains open border policy officially, not in practice, say analysts

“It is not possible for Turkey's open border policy to undergo significant changes but we see larger refugee transfers from the Syrian border are being rejected from time to time,” Sinan Ülgen, chairman of the İstanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), told Sunday's Zaman.

Sharing a 900-kilometer-long border with Syria, Turkey has said it will maintain its "open door" policy for those fleeing the Syrian civil war, which started in March 2011, although it has closed border crossings from time to time following clashes near the frontier.

“I assume that Turkey has almost reached its limit to meet the burden of hosting Syrian refugees and will probably seek more international support,” he added.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also launched a campaign for greater solidarity and sharing of responsibility with the host countries of Syrian refugees.

In a previous interview with Today's Zaman, UNHCR Turkey Representative Carol Batchelor said refugee protection is the responsibility of the entire global community and not just Turkey or the other countries neighboring Syria.

The UNHCR anticipates that by the end of 2014, as the conflict approaches its fourth year, there might be up to 4.1 million refugees and that three-quarters of the Syrian population may be displaced.

Batchelor noted the burden on host countries, adding that these pressures are exerting a drain on Turkish infrastructure, resources and services.

She noted that in addition to the UN's responsibility to provide support for refugee protection, it is also a duty to discuss with the state whether the host community is experiencing a drain on local resources.

Turkey has spent $2 billion so far on helping refugees who have fled from the war in Syria and Europe's contribution to this was only $180 million, Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ömer Önhon has said.

Speaking on the second day of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee's 73rd meeting in Parliament on Dec. 6, Önhon said Turkey expects Europe to make a greater contribution and share the financial burden.

Over 208,000 Syrians live in 21 refugee camps in Turkey, mainly near cities close to the border, but most refugees do not live in such camps.

Elaborating on Turkey's open border policy, Hasan Kanbolat, head of the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), said as Turkey has prevented some major refugee transfers into its own borders, there are now small and medium-sized camps on Syrian territory close to Turkey.

“These camps remove the burden from Turkey and the whole world and lead them to turn their backs on those people living in inhumane conditions,” noted Kanbolat.

As the living conditions deteriorate in winter, there are more people dying of exposure to cold or as a result of fires that break out in their nylon tents.

Kanbolat claims Turkey should grant citizenship to Syrians living in Turkey and to those who will come to the country. “It is not a big deal to grant citizenship to 1.5 million Syrians as the US gets ready to accept over 20 million undocumented immigrants as citizens. In order to have permanent peace, Turkey needs to grant this right to Syrians and other illegal immigrants in the country,” he said.

Increasing number of refugees force Turkey to take precautions

Keeping new waves of refugees inside the Syrian border may be the right solution as the current numbers have already surpassed Turkey's capacity to host refugees, Oytun Orhan, a Syria analyst at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), told Sunday's Zaman

“Considering that the instability in Syria is expected to continue for a long time, it may be understandable that Turkey prefers such a precaution,” he said.

Commenting on the debates over granting citizenship to Syrian refugees, Orhan noted that this may disturb the socioeconomic balance of border provinces, and that Syrians holding a Turkish passport could influence the election results.

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) head has ruled out any possibility of Syrian refugees seeking shelter in Turkey voting in the upcoming local elections that are scheduled to take place next March.

Speaking at an event at İstanbul Okan University on Tuesday, YSK President Sadi Güven said Syrian refugees cannot vote in local elections due to the election law, which only allows Turkish citizens to vote at polls.