After President Erdogan announced that citizenship is going to be given Syrians, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also spoke over this issue. Yildirim said that Ministry of Interior has finished the draft concerning the citizenship. As for opposition parties, they react the process planning to grant citizenship to Syrians.

Scholars and opinion leaders emphasized that citizenship must be given to those who left their houses due to the persecution they experienced during early times of republic.

 “Citizenship must be granted to those who had to expatriate to Syria due to the persecution of republic”

Abdullatif Naksioglu, a scholar and opinion leader from Mardin province, said: “Once Ismet Inonu and his friend; executed many scholars, sheiks and pious people by hanging and many others were scattered to the four winds. They had to go to Syria and to some other countries. Then the British draw borders among us. Those, who had to expatriate to Syria, still have their relatives here in Turkey. Fleeing Inonu persecution, people suffered Hafız Assad persecution. Then, now they escape from Hafiz’s son persecution. They are asylum seekers. They were also asylum seekers when they were expatriated to Syria, now they flee persecutions and massacres in Syria.”

“Those, immigrated to Syria, have relatives in Turkey”

Indicating that the civil war broke out in 2011, is one of the most merciless, destructive and brutal of the history, Abdurrahim Akdag, former deputy of Mardin province, said that preliminarily the USA and Russia, global and regional actors meddling with this war sometimes directly and sometimes having proxies. Reminding that approximately 3 million Syrians migrated to Turkey, Akdag said: “Those who came to Turkey are anyhow from Turkey.  These oppressed people were embraced with gratitude that is very rare in the history. The world peoples witness this.”

 “Educated/qualified ones must be availed”

Taking the question of citizenship’s coming to the fore normally, Akdag said: “Surely, it is impossible to grant this right to everyone. But those who are in compliance with the conditions must be taken to the citizenship to provide integration to the social life within the flow of life. Especially educated and qualified ones can be availed. I would like to remind that most of the refugees comprised of women and children will return their country when the war ends. It mustn’t be forgotten that they left their provisions, houses and some of their family members back. Not to be drowned in the seas, they must be given citizenship within the compass of criteria.”

“Every individual of Ummah is naturally citizen of Anatolia”

Head of International Strategic Analyze and Research Center (USTAD) Ahmet Akgul stated that a serious informational convergence emerged after President Erdogan’s speech over granting citizenship to those who fled Syria and came here.

Akgul, "We consider that the information alleging that officially 3 million and nonofficial estimation of 4 million Syrians are going to be naturalized is not accurate information heard from the real source. Regarding Turkey’s conditions, preferential citizenship seems right but when we look at from the point of the mission that Anatolia bear throughout the history, from India to Libya, from Somalia to Syria every member of Ummah is naturally citizen of Anatolia on the other hand we regard those, who defends otherwise, are the ones don’t have this spirit in their hearts. But the most important matter, which requires ultimate cautious, is that those, who can easily be provoked by some groups such as PYD, mustn’t be granted citizenship moreover they must be kept under firm surveillance. Yet, within the implementation of naturalizing, any attempts intending to shift Syria’s demographic structure, which is being changed by domestic and external migrations systematically, would be one of the cases that history never forgive. Turkey’s admittance of any Syrians coming to its door must be viewed as a humane action. Preferential citizenship, to avail those can be useful for the country, is something must have been envisaged at the first but now it is a late move. We would like to express our reservations that in a time, while our country is struggling with many problems, those, who are going to be naturalized, mustn’t be chosen from who have bigoted ideological minds may deepen our current problems, even if they were great scientists."

“We have ten thousands of jobless educators, engineers, medical technicians”

On the contrary Chairman of Mardin Social Solidarity Federation (MTDF) Mehmet Serif Oter said “These people in Turkey have done everything they can. They have spared nothing. When necessary, some citizens shared one of their two dresses with their Syrian brothers. They split their food at home and it will go on so. This is our humane, brotherhood and neighbor duty. Our government behaves likewise. We are talking about nearly 3 million of refuges. Notably education and health services are offered free of charge for our brothers. Recently, first our President and some other senior statesmen have talked about naturalization of Syrians. They have noted that the government will give citizenship to educated and well qualified ones. We don’t approve it. However we have ten thousands of jobless educators, engineers, medical technicians. They can be employed. But if they are employed after citizenship, our people will remain out and this may offend them and cause disappointment. I think we must share everything with them till their country get pacified. Nevertheless we shouldn’t grant them citizenship.”

“They still inter their relatives in Syria”

“Many Syrians don’t account Turkey as their country and hoping that their country will rest easy one day, they still inter their dead people in Syria with difficulty.” Said Oter and added that: “Because their eyes and hearts are still at Syria. We, as a whole country, shall do everything to return them back their country once it has peace and tranquility. We don’t approve naturalization of Syrians at that point now.” (ILKHA)