Türkiye hosts 3.6 mln foreign nationals, minister says

ANKARA

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi on June 25 announced that over 3.6 million foreign nationals currently have legal residence status in Türkiye, including 2.2 million Syrians under temporary protection.

In a written statement, Çiftçi said a total of 1.4 million Syrians “voluntarily, safely and with dignity” returned to their country between 2016 and 2026.

Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians fled their homes, triggering a large-scale migration wave toward Europe, while neighboring Türkiye became the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees.

The number of returnees has increased since the fall of the long-rime ruler Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the end of 2024.

The minister also underscored Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and migrant smuggling across its borders, in urban centers and throughout the country’s maritime jurisdiction areas.

“We have completed 1,329 kilometers of border security walls and are continuing construction on an additional 110-kilometer section to strengthen border protection,” Çiftçi said.

He noted that Türkiye’s borders are monitored around the clock through a comprehensive security network comprising electro-optical surveillance towers, thermal imaging cameras, observation posts, mobile monitoring vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Highlighting maritime security measures, Çiftçi added that the Turkish Coast Guard Command safeguards the country’s 4,500-kilometer coastline with a fleet of 323 maritime assets and 23 aircraft.