More than 273,000 Syrians have returned home from Turkey since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Turkey’s vice president said on Friday.
“The number of people who have voluntarily returned to Syria since December 8, 2024, has exceeded 273,000,” Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said, according to remarks published by the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The return figures come amid mounting political pressure in Turkey to reduce the number of refugees living in the country. As of May Turkey was hosting some 2.7 million Syrians, according to data from the interior ministry.
The Turkish government, which has expressed support for Syria’s new post-Assad administration, has promoted refugee repatriation as part of a broader regional stabilization policy.
Officials say facilitating voluntary returns is key to addressing tensions in Turkish cities and towns where anti-refugee sentiment has been rising in recent years.