Throughout history, Türkiye’s strategic location at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East has been crucial to border management and migration policies. In particular, Türkiye’s border security measures have changed and been significantly impacted by the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 and the massive migrant flows that followed. In this process, a critical viewpoint on the efficacy and difficulties of Türkiye’s border control and migration policies must be developed.
In the early Republican period, migration policies focused on large migration movements such as the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) and Balkan migrations, often with the aim of increasing the ethnic Turkish population (Kirişci, 2007).
Nonetheless, Türkiye’s geopolitical standing and the dynamics of international migration have evolved since the end of the Cold War and it is now more frequently used as a transit and destination nation. In the 2000s, Türkiye’s European Union (EU) accession process and efforts to integrate with Europe led Türkiye to seek to harmonize its migration and border management policies with the EU’s border security policies (İçduygu, 2015).
This process materialized with the 2016 European Union – Türkiye Readmission Agreement, making Türkiye’s borders part of the European Union’s external border protection mechanism.
The Syrian Civil War which started in 2011, has been one of the biggest crises testing Türkiye’s migration policies. In a short period of time, Türkiye has accepted nearly four million Syrian asylum seekers, becoming one of the countries hosting the largest asylum-seeker population in the world (UNHCR, 2021). This has sparked widespread criticism of Türkiye’s border management and migration policies. Initially pursuing an open-door policy Türkiye granted temporary protection status to Syrian asylum seekers but this has become a factor that has triggered socio-economic, and political problems in the long run.
Although the open-door policy was implemented with humanitarian intentions, it has had a profound impact on Türkiye’s social structure. Conflicts between locals and asylum seekers have been rare and the employment of asylum seekers in the informal economy has led to higher unemployment rates and a deterioration in social balance.
Türkiye’s border management should be considered in the context of security threats notably near the Syrian border. In the years following 2011, Türkiye faced security threats such as terrorist organizations and illegal arms smuggling.
These threats have led Türkiye to tighten its border security policies and border security has been strengthened by increasing military presence in border regions (Akgönül, 2019).
However measures to protect border security have made combating humanitarian crises more difficult and the installation of severe border crossing controls, particularly for civilians fleeing war zones, has sparked criticism.
The impact of the Readmission Agreement with the EU has also been controversial in Türkiye’s border management.
This agreement led the European Union to see Turkey as a buffer zone while Turkey received financial aid in return and pursued a policy of keeping asylum seekers at its borders. (İçduygu and Millet, 2016).
Nevertheless, this situation has contributed to the perception that Turkey utilizes asylum seekers as a bargaining tool, which has subsequently harmed its standing in the international community.
The effectiveness of Türkiye’s border management and migration policy should not be evaluated only from a security perspective. Given Türkiye’s position, these strategies should also include humanitarian and social issues. Türkiye should take steps to enhance regional security for the safe return of asylum seekers to their home countries and establish a comprehensive migration policy to encourage return. In addition, methods should be developed to safeguard the right to asylum in accordance with international law while simultaneously enhancing border security measures. Turkey’s border management and migration policies demand a comprehensive multi-faceted approach that integrates both security and humanitarian considerations. The influx of migrants resulting from the Syrian crisis has placed significant pressure on Turkey’s border management capabilities, necessitating a thorough reassessment of its migration policies. Türkiye’s role in the framework of the agreements with the EU makes it clear that the migration crisis needs to be solved in an international dimension. However, this is an international problem rather than a problem that Türkiye can solve on its own.
In the coming years, it is essential that Türkiye undertakes structural reforms in its migration policies and develops short, medium and long-term strategies for the return of those who are in Türkiye illegally and Syrian asylum seekers.
References
Akgönül, S. (2019). Türkiye-Suriye Sınır Yönetimi: Güvenlik ve İnsani Yaklaşımlar Arasında. Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 16(64), 145-166.
İçduygu, A. (2015). Türkiye’nin Göç Politikalarının AB Entegrasyonu Sürecindeki Dönüşümü. Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 12(48), 100-115.
İçduygu, A. ve Millet, E. (2016). Türkiye’nin Göç Yönetimi ve AB-Türkiye Geri Kabul Anlaşması. Göç Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2(2), 120-136.
Kirişci, K. (2007). Türk Dış Politikasında Göç ve Mülteci Yönetimi. SETA Yayınları.
UNHCR (2021). Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2020.
