Turkey takes additional measures at border gates to facilitate Syrians' return

Istanbul (The Uttam Hindu): Turkey has strengthened border infrastructure and measures to facilitate Syrians' return, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.The Ministry of Trade has been carrying out necessary procedures and actions at the Yayladagi Border Gate with Syria in the Hatay province to ensure border security, efficiently manage passenger procedures, and effectively combat smuggling, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Anadolu. It said the gate's infrastructure has been reinforced and strengthened for passenger and cargo transit. Additionally, extra personnel have been deployed to prevent congestion from those wishing to return to Syria.

Turkish authorities are also planning to open the gate to commercial vehicle traffic "in a short time" with the efforts of the relevant institutions, Anadolu added.Turkey reopened the Yayladagi Border Gate on December 10, after an 11-year closure, to address the anticipated border congestion from Syrian refugees wishing to return home. Meanwhile, efforts to strengthen the infrastructure at other border gates with Syria continue through technology investments, according to Anadolu. The semi-fixed vehicle and container scanning system at the Cilvegozu Customs Gate, which had reached the end of its economic life, has been renewed. On Sunday, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 7,621 Syrian nationals voluntarily returned to their homeland between December 9-13, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government. Yerlikaya noted that there are still around 2.95 million Syrians in Turkey. Of those under temporary protection, approximately 1.25 million are originally from Syria's Aleppo region.