Syrian refugees queue at Cilvegozu border gate in Reyhanli, Hatay, Turkey, on December 9, 2024, before entering Syria. — AFP

Turkey has boosted its border crossing capacity to manage the influx of Syrian refugees aiming to return home after Bashar al-Assad's fall, according to the interior minister. Following Assad's removal on Sunday, hundreds gathered at Turkey's southern border with Syria, prompting Ankara to swiftly expand its crossing facilities. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya informed reporters that the daily capacity has been raised from 3,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000 crossings.

Turkey hosts nearly three million refugees who fled the civil war in 2011, with Ankara anticipating that the recent changes in Syria will enable many to return. Yerlikaya noted that around 300-400 people crossed the border on Sunday, a number that doubled by midday Monday. He also mentioned a planned meeting with Syrian NGOs on Wednesday to discuss the refugees' return.

Since 2016, over 738,000 Syrians have voluntarily returned home, with 2,935,000 still in Turkey. Turkey shares a 900-kilometre border with Syria and operates five crossings. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to reopen a sixth crossing, closed since 2013, to alleviate traffic. The Yayladagi crossing in Hatay province provides access to Latakia, a western Syrian coastal region.

Erdogan expressed hope that the changes in Syria would benefit all Syrians, especially refugees, and lead to increased voluntary returns. With anti-Syrian sentiment high in Turkey, Ankara is eager to facilitate the return of as many refugees as possible. Yerlikaya highlighted that 42% of Syrian refugees in Turkey, around 1.24 million, are from the Aleppo region.

AFP correspondents observed hundreds of refugees gathering at the Cilvegozu border crossing, 50 kilometres west of Aleppo. Yerlikaya remarked that if someone had predicted this scenario three days ago, no one would have believed it. He emphasized the need for efforts to help refugees return home.

On Tuesday, Erdogan discussed Syria in separate calls with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, NATO boss Mark Rutte, and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He stressed that plans were underway to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Syrians and that Syria's reconstruction would accelerate their homecoming.

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