The Syrian refugees will hardly have a cordial welcome. In Turkey,locals are not happy with such an intense flow of refugees, while the latter can in no way be glad with having absolutely no rights away from home.
115,000 people have fled Syria in fear of a military intervention, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says. The governments of the countries where Syrians are heading report differently. Jordan said it has accepted 160,000 refugees from Syria. More can be seen fleeing through Lebanon and Iraq.
Turkey has been experiencing the worst situation with Syrian refugees. More than 10 camps have already been set up in border areas in thesouth-east. Each camp can accommodate up to 10,000. Ankara yet cannot entirely control the situation. Refugees have reported lack of fresh water and poor sanitary condition. In some camps people also complain about a very strict regime, with talking to journalists and human right activists being almost impossible. Turkey`s opposition media say that Syrians do not receive a refugee status, which means that they have almost no rights at all. Locals do not like the fact that the camps are located in economically underdeveloped areas with a high rate of unemployment. Expert in Middle Eastern studies Andrei Volodin believes that if things go on like this, Turkey could face a humanitarian and a political crisis:
"There are some restive districts in Turkey where people cannot stay indifferent to what is going on there. Anti-government forces could come to the forefront. It means that we should speak less about a humanitarian catastrophe, which is a hot topic among human rightactivists, but focus more on the need to cease violence in Syria – this is what will meet Turkey`s interests."
There are also some ethnic reasons for locals being angry with the flow of refugees from Syria. The Turkic population had long beendemonstrating quite a chilly attitude towards Arabs. Ethnic clashes were reported in some towns. In some districts the army had to interfere to calm down the refugees who are not glad with the way they are being treated in camps.
Officially, Turkey says it is not meddling with the Syrian affairs. Nevertheless, rebels enter Syria exactly from the Turkish side. More than 18,000 people have already decided to return to Syria. The Damascus-based journalist Ankhar Kochneva told the Voice of Russia about the situation in those Syrian towns controlled by the government…
"There are no signs of panic there. Although shots can be heard from time to time, staying there is quite safe. Everything is ok with access to food, although the holy month of Ramadan has begun, and shops are closed in daytime. There are no refugees, just displaced people who are now returning home."
Ankara has allocated more than $200,000 on the construction of refugee camps. Other countries welcoming refugees cannot afford to spend as much. Expert in Arabic studies Alexander Filonik thinks that the situation will get even worse, causing further escalation of tensions. Unlike Lebanon and Jordan, Turkey has broader financial opportunities.
Meanwhile, the EU and Russia have said they are ready to evacuate their citizens from Syria.
Anastasiya Barysheva, Polina Chernitsa, The Voice of Russia
