Ankara, June 27 (SANA)Turkish Interior Minister,Mustafa Çiftçi,announced that the number ofSyrianswho havevoluntarily returned to their country since 2016 has exceeded 1,434,000 people, noting that the number of Syrians under the temporary protection system in Türkiye stands at 2,259,000.

According to the Anadolu News Agency on Saturday, Çiftçi said that during a consultation and evaluation meeting on migration held at the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Istanbul on Friday, the Turkish authorities have decided to exempt foreigners under temporary protection from obtaining work permits, taking into account the labor market needs that Syrians help meet.

He explained that Türkiye attaches importance to employing Syrians in a regulated manner, just like all other foreigners, pointing out that the government is conducting a comprehensive assessment of voluntary return processes, the future of the temporary protection system, and mechanisms for regular migration.

Çiftçi also noted that about one-third of Syrians under temporary protection were born in Türkiye, considering that the migration issue is no longer “a temporary population movement, but has taken on long-term social and demographic dimensions.”

The Turkish Interior Ministry announced last December that 578,000 Syrians had voluntarily returned to their country in a safe and organized manner since the fall of the ousted regime and the liberation of Syria on December 8, 2024.

Türkiye has topped the list of countries hosting Syrian refugees worldwide, having received millions of them since the beginning of the Syrian revolution.