Syrian Humanitarian Crisis: The Fundamental Difficulties Facing Turkey

The Syrian humanitarian crisis has developed in a way expected neither by Turkey nor by the international community and it continues to profoundly impact Turkey. When Turkey opened its borders to Syrian refugees in April 2011, and later when it expanded this to temporary protection in October of the same year, what was expected was that the crisis would be swiftly overcome and the refugees would return to their homes. However the crisis has taken on a lasting nature, accompanied as it is by steadily-growing destruction and displacement. The number of refugees in Turkey is now put at a total of 800,000, of which 200,000 are in the camps. According to the United Nations, this figure will reach one million by the end of the year. All the indicators suggest that the humanitarian crisis will continue and that Turkey will search for ways to share this burden with the international community.