EU to create job opportunities for Syrian refugees in Türkiye

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The European Union (EU) has funded projects in Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep that in the future are intended to create job opportunities for Syrian refugees.

The courses will ideally create jobs and careers to allow Syrians to adapt to Turkish society more easily.

The demographics of the two Turkish cities consist of an overwhelming majority of ethnic Kurds, who have long accused Turkish authorities of resettling Syrians exclusively in Kurdish areas, also known as “Bakur,” or North Kurdistan, among locals.

According to official statistics, there are approximately 3.7 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye. However, there is a long debate concerning the fate of the Syrian refugees as to whether they will be returned or if they will be integrated into society.

During his visit to Şanlıurfa, Nicolas Meyer-Landrut, Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, criticized the country by saying, "The Turkish authorities do not use the term integration-adaptation. We also observe that the current Syrian situation is not conducive to recovery. More work is needed to adapt Syrian refugees."

According to Metin Baydilli, Mayor of the Karaköprü district of the city of Şanlıurfa, "We have established a carpet factory. Syrian refugees in Riha [the Kurdish name of Şanlıurfa] will learn how to make carpets. Such programs are crucial for Syrian refugees to live in society without any difficulty."

The migrants are often seen as an effective trump card against Europe by Erdogan, who has long threatened to flood Europe with refugees.

Moreover, Syrian refugees who fled the war and sought refuge from the Turkish government fear returning to a country that has entered its 12th year of a brutal civil war, leaving much of it in ruins.

More than 14 million Syrians have fled the country, over a quarter of which are in Türkiye.