Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that "the number of refugees returning to Syria will increase as the diplomatic communications Turkey has been conducting with Russia and Syria bear fruit," according to Russia Today.
In a speech today, Erdoğan stated that "new violations are constantly added to the gross violations that disregard human rights, freedom, and dignity in many parts of the world, from Syria to Palestine, from Yemen to Arakan, and from East Turkestan to Africa," noting that hate crimes such as cultural racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia "have reached horrifying dimensions, especially in Western societies."
He added: "The basic freedoms of millions of Muslims are being violated, their sanctities are insulted under the guise of freedom of expression, and their beliefs are portrayed as a source of threat."
He further mentioned: "To date, about 500,000 Syrian refugees have returned to the areas we have turned into safe zones."
Erdoğan continued: "The number of refugees returning to their countries will increase as the diplomatic communications Turkey has been conducting with Russia and Syria yield results."
He pointed out that "terrorists who shed the blood of Turkish citizens and carried out terrorist acts targeting civilians are being protected under the pretext that they are seeking political asylum,” adding that "some countries we are working with under the NATO umbrella, the Council of Europe, or the United Nations have today become refuges for those fleeing Turkish justice."
He emphasized that "the recent violent events in the French capital Paris revealed how wrong it is to differentiate between a 'good terrorist and a bad terrorist,' expressing hope that "these events will lead to the launch of a new era in the fight against terrorism."
Erdoğan stressed that "Turkey has taken a firm stance in combating terrorism, while at the same time extending a helping hand to the oppressed."
He concluded: "We have embraced more than 4 million oppressed people, among them 3.5 million Syrians, who fled from conflict areas... We did not consider anyone's creed or origin when we provided assistance to the persecuted trying to cling to life in the camps in Syria."
