Syria Kurds dispute Turkish plans to resettle ‘non-indigenous’ refugees

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish forces in northeast Syria said Monday that Syrian refugees hosted by neighboring Turkey who are not indigenous to the region should not be resettled in the area, contrary to Turkish plans.

Turkey and the US recently reached an agreement to establish a ‘safe zone’ along northern Syria’s shared border with Turkey.

Although the precise length and depth of this safe zone is still under discussion, Turkey says it intends to resettle some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it currently hosts inside a so-called ‘peace corridor’ in the Kurdish-controlled north.

Following a meeting with US-led coalition officials in Tel Abyad on Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) set out its own vision for refugee resettlement, insisting only Syrians indigenous to SDF areas, and those not affiliated with “terrorist groups”, would be permitted.

In a Twitter thread following the meeting, the Coordination and Military Ops Center said: “Refugees may return when preparations are complete that include the support of international organizations and international aid,” specifically once a screening system has been established.

“The refugees must originally come from NE Syria … [and] the refugees must not be connected to any terror activities or crimes against Syrian people,” the SDF added.

Any return must also be voluntary, the SDF said, urging the international community to step in to provide support and care for refugees and to prevent the return of the Islamic State (ISIS), territorially defeated in the East of Euphrates region in March.

The SDF’s vision of refugee resettlement differs sharply with plans outlined by Turkey in recent weeks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that up to three million Syrians hosted by Turkey would soon be moved to northeast Syria.

Turkey, which considers the region’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has more than once threatened to invade the Kurdish controlled areas.

The safe zone is supposed to prevent this from happening in return for meeting some of Turkey’s security concerns.

US and Turkish forces have already started joint aerial and land patrols along the proposed zone. Turkish forces usually return to their side of the border following these patrols.

Turkey hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country in the region, placing a strain on its public infrastructure and inter-communal relations. In response to this growing hostility, Ankara has promised to resettle them.

Speaking at a trilateral press conference with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Monday, Erdogan said his country will focus on the “voluntary return” of Syrians.

“It is evident that Turkey cannot shoulder the refugee burden on its own. Nor is it possible for our country to face a new migration wave. Now it is time for us to focus on the safe and voluntary return of Syrians to their own country,” he said.

Two million Syrians currently taking refuge in Turkey can be resettled in this area and this figure might exceed even three million if this line can be extended all the way to Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, Erdogan added.

Speaking to North Press Agency, a media agency close to the SDF, US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said the safe zone is being established to prevent an ISIS resurgence, but did not clarify whether the return of refugees is on the agenda.

The US wants to establish a “security mechanism” that would ensure the permanent destruction of ISIS, he said.

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