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Thursday, 26 December 2024
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The mayor of Ankara calls for training Syrians and sending them to fight in Syria
The mayor of Ankara calls for training Syrians and sending them to fight in Syria

The former mayor of greater Ankara, Melih Kokjek, called for arming Syrians in his country and sending them back to Syria, in  a controversial statements.


Kokjek, who is considered an ally of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, posted tweets expressing his support for the idea of ​​training young Syrians,  under the age of 35 in camps inside Turkey, then sending them to Syria to fight.


 


Syrians are in cafes or on beaches


He explained: “what infuriates me is that young Syrians in Turkey,  who are at the age of military service, age are sitting in cafes or on the beach, I am not against having them in my country as refugees, but it angers me that we are fighting for them and they are sitting in cafes and beaches”


Kokjek believes  that there “has to  be a new policy” in Turkey towards Syrian refugees, pointing out  that Syrian men and women over  the age of 35, as well as children, could stay in the country as guests. 


 


Those who refuse have to leave


Melih Kokjek said: “Young Syrian people  should be sent to training camps based inside Turkey, while institutions that responsible for Syrians throughout Turkey should be informed. Anyone who  rejects this decision should be deported immediately.”


The Turkish minister of interior, Suleyman Soylu, rejected the idea describing   it was a poor proposal which could not be implemented. He added: “we cannot force the Syrians who fled their country to go back and take up arms.”


According to Turkish media; Kokjek, who resigned as Mayor of Ankara in 2017, is expected to become deputy of Justice and Development Party, the ruling party in Turkey, and that he will take office following instruction from Erdogan personally, who is the leader of  the ruling party, as a result of the restructuring  that will take place within “Justice and Development Party”