Some forces interested in tensions between Syrian refugees and Turks
By Trend
There are forces interested in tensions between Syrian refugees and the local population in Turkey, said governor of the Turkish province of Sakarya, Irfan Balkanlioglu.
“Throughout its history, Turkey has accepted refugees from various countries and Sakarya is one of those provinces that host refugees from different parts of the world,” he told Trend on July 24.
Balkanlioglu did not rule out that the Syrian intelligence service and external forces play a big role in the tensions between Syrian refugees and the local Turkish population.
“Previously, no clashes have been observed between the local population and Syrian refugees. However, in recent months one can see the anti-Syrian propaganda that is being conducted on social networks,” he said.
A mass fight took place in mid-June between the Syrian refugees and the local population in Sakarya.
“External forces are trying to increase the number of clashes between the local population and Syrian refugees in Turkey, and their goal is to put the government – which pursues a loyal policy towards the Syrian refugees – in a difficult position,” according to Balkanlioglu.
Balkanlioglu said that while Western countries closed their doors to Syrian refugees, Turkey accepted them.
“Currently, there are Syrian refugees in all Turkish provinces, and the country plans to grant citizenship to some of them,” according to him.
Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has claimed more than 500,000 lives.
Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The “Islamic State” (IS), the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
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