Istanbul: Turkey is currently home to more than 4 million refugees, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced, emphasizing the government's ongoing efforts to reduce this number. "We are directly affected by instability in neighboring countries. We are no strangers to this problem. Throughout history, Anatolia has been a place of migration. It has been seen as a safe harbor. Turkey currently hosts 4 million, 33 thousand refugees, of which 2 million, 768 thousand are under temporary protection," Erdogan stated during a conference on migration management in Istanbul.

According to Namibia Press Agency, up to 200,000 refugees have returned to Syria from Turkey following a change in power. The total number of Syrians who have returned to their home country has now reached 931,450. Erdogan highlighted Turkey's unique position at the intersection of three continents and recognized the broader global challenge of migration.

Erdogan noted that the issue of migration is a global concern, with millions of people worldwide forced to leave their homelands due to various hardships. "The problem of migration is on the agenda all over the world. Millions of people are forced to leave the lands where they were born because of hardship. More than 281 million people have migrated around the world. We are sympathetic to migration," he added.

The context of this migration crisis includes significant political changes in Syria, where the armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Subsequently, Bashar Assad stepped down as Syrian president and left the country. In January, Ahmed Sharaa was declared transitional president of the new Syrian administration.