News Analysis: Turkey struggles to cope with mounting refugee crisis

Turkey has been confronted by a series of challenges ranging from security problems to financial difficulties due a growing number of refugees there from neighboring countries, experts say.

"This is the problem that Turkey on its own cannot deal with," Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, professor of international relations at Ankara-based Gazi University, told Xinhua, referring to the growing number of refugees in the country.

"It requires a concerted and combined efforts from the international community to handle a problem of this magnitude," he added.

According to Turkish government data, 1.9 million Syrians who fled the conflict in their homeland are living in Turkey. Only a little over quarter a million are sheltered in 25 refugee camps that were set up by the government.

Since the bulk of the refugees are mingled with local population across the country, that has created a resentment among locals who complain about rising crime, soaring cost of living especially home rental prices, and increased burden on health and social safety network in local institutions.

Yet, the Turkish government said it still did not abandon "open door" policy for Syrians but has started to beef up security measures along porous Syrian border, including building a long concrete wall fence for what officials say preventing smuggling and terrorism.

Ankara has also been pushing the United States and its coalition partners that battle with Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq to agree on a safe zone inside Syria to handle further refugees there.

The United States has not agreed to such Turkish request yet, but said the U.S.-led coalition will work with Turkey to clear IS militants from Syrian areas close to the Turkish border, paving the way for establishing a de facto safe zone.

Murtaza Yetis, an advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, announced in border province Hatay this week that the government is working on a safe zone within Syria and plans to deal with further refugee flows from this area.

"For the coming period, there is a study being planned especially on the safe zone," he said, adding that the refugee crisis is being handled in all aspects from the education, employment to the health.

SPILLOVER TO EUROPE

Turkey has recently come to the international spotlight in a series of incidents in Aegean Sea, in which thousands of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and other eastern nations tried to cross to Greece en route to Europe using Turkish mainland as a transit route.

Some have been killed in accidents when their boats capsized, while most were being rescued either by Turkish or Greek coast guards.

Both Turkey and Greece called on Europe to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with the mounting refugee crisis.

Ankara has said the international community failed to pitch in for providing financial aid to take care of refugees.

According to Turkish emergency management agency, the government has spent six billion U.S. dollars on the Syrian refugees since 2011.

The aid received by foreign and international organizations remained only at some 400 million U.S. dollars.

GOVERNMENT BLAMED

The Turkish opposition blames the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for the refugee crisis, saying that Ankara's policy towards Syria was wrong and needs adjustment.

The Islamist-rooted AKP government has openly supported the Syrian opposition that has been bent on toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.

Umut Oran, former lawmaker from the main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP), said Turkey has taken sides in what he called a civil war in Syria and is now paying a price for it.

"Refugees cost Turkey in great deal from economic, social, political and security viewpoints," he remarked.

He underlined that the money that was spent on Syrian refugees is roughly equal to the amount of Turkey's yearly budget deficit.

"With this money, 38,000 new jobs could have been created in Turkey," Oran noted.

INTEGRATION DEBATE

Some analysts believe the actual cost of Syrian refugees to Turkey may be higher than the official accounts.

Hasan Kanbolat, director of Ankara Policy Center, highlights that the actual number of Syrians in Turkey is around 2.5 million by some estimates, as opposed to the government figure of 1.9 million.

"In 2016, this is expected to become three million. If Aleppo, a large city with 1.5 million people, is also affected by the war, the number of Syrians in Turkey will near four million," he predicted.

According to Kanbolat, Turkey must find ways to incorporate Syrian refugees to a larger population with training and integration programs so that the Syrians can have a profession and a decent life.

Salih Dogan, a research fellow at the Turkey Institute, pointed out the security challenges from the IS that eyes to recruit the Syrian refugees who are having hard time settling.

"It would be easy for IS to recruit militants from these refugee camps, turn them against the Turkish state and use them in their 'jihad' against Turkey," he warned. Endit