Repatriation to Turkey's "safe zone" in Northeast Syria: Ankara's goals and European concerns

Sinem Adar

No 1/2020, SWP Comments from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Abstract: Following the US decision to withdraw troops from Northeast Syria and upon separate agreements with the US and Russia, Ankara established what it calls a safe zone in the area between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. Even if spanning a smaller territory than envisaged, Turkey aims with its safe zone to impede Kurdish autonomy in North­ern Syria, on the one hand, and to return refugees who have increasingly become a domestic policy challenge for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP thereafter), on the other hand. Turkey's plan for repatriation signals that its interests align with European interests in refugee return. Given concerns about the safety of refugees, voluntary nature of return, and Ankara's attempts at demographic engineering, Europeans should not support a Turkey-led repatriation to Syria without conditions.

Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:swpcom:12020

DOI: 10.18449/2020C01

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