“Syrian refugees in Turkey are under intense pressure to return to their country amid high inflation and the depreciation of the Turkish lira,” AFP reported.

The agency said in a report that “the conflict in Syria since it began in 2011 has claimed the lives of about half a million people, caused massive damage to infrastructure and displaced millions of people inside and outside the country, and Turkey has been one of the main players in the conflict and supported those who called for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opened its borders to refugees”, noting that “Turkey hosts about 3.7 million Syrian refugees and over the years tensions have arisen, especially in the summer of 2021, between refugees and the local population, experiencing a severe economic and financial crisis.

She pointed out that “refugees fear their cause will be used in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections due in June 2023, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces growing popular anger for accepting them in the country”.