Turkish media reports revealed that the government, under the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has established a tripartite mechanism aimed at accelerating voluntary repatriation efforts for Syrian refugees, with a focus on economic and social development in the Aleppo province in northwestern Syria.
The “Sabah” newspaper, closely aligned with the Turkish government, has stated that Erdogan issued directives to establish a tripartite mechanism consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the ruling Justice and Development Party, and its parliamentary bloc.
This mechanism aims to encourage Syrians to voluntarily return to areas being cleared by forces and factions loyal to Ankara.
The tripartite mechanism will concentrate its efforts on “revitalizing economic and commercial life in the areas cleared in northern Syria” and promoting entrepreneurs, including Turks, to establish projects, factories, and facilities there to provide employment opportunities for returnees.
Sabah highlighted a significant aspect of the roadmap being pursued by the mechanism, which is the emphasis on Aleppo province, known as Syria’s economic capital, with the goal of reviving it both economically and socially.
In pursuit of this, Türkiye continues negotiations with both the Russian and Syrian sides to include Aleppo in the roadmap, a move aimed at creating employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who will be encouraged to return to their homeland.
Last week, a writer for “Hürriyet Daily News” revealed two prominent issues concerning Syria that will be the focus of discussions between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the latter’s potential visit to Türkiye in August.
The first issue is the return of refugees, and the second is the normalization between Ankara and Damascus, including a potential meeting between Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
The writer further emphasized the importance of the Erdogan-Assad meeting, as Türkiye’s priority lies in ensuring the safe return of Syrians to their homeland. They noted that a significant portion of Syrians in Türkiye are from the Aleppo province, and it is essential to guarantee their safe return to their original areas.
Ankara’s vision in this regard involves establishing security points in coordination between the Turkish and Syrian armies.