Turkey and Jordan to encourage 'voluntary return' of Syrian refugees

Turkey and Jordan will cooperate to encourage the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, despite human rights groups insisting that Syria remains one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi that Turkey will "host a conference on the ministerial level on this issue".

"We will continue our cooperation with international institutions such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation", he added.

Turkey hosts around 4 million Syrian refugees and Jordan around 1.3 million, most of them fleeing the Assad regime's fierce attacks on opposition towns and cities.

Syrians face widespread hostility in Turkey, where politicians are capitalising on anti-refugee sentiments and racism as the country gears up for elections.

Turkey's main opposition party earlier this year vowed to send Syrians "back home" if it comes to power in a general election scheduled for 2023.

Human rights organisations have warned that deported Syrians face grave danger once they arrive in their country of origin.

Syrians in Jordan have also suffered from discrimination. Up until July 2021, Syrian refugees in Jordan were mostly permitted to work only in the agriculture, construction, and manufacturing fields.

About half of Syria’s population has been displaced due to Syria’s decade-long civil war. As many as 6.8 million Syrians live as refugees outside the country and the rest are internally displaced.

Around 500,000 Syrians have been killed since the Syrian regime launched a brutal assault on opposition areas.