Turkey continues to host more refugees than anyone else, but for how long?
World
Turkey continues to host more refugees than anyone else, but for how long?
(AFP) - Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey lost their homes, their country, and in some cases, their limbs.
At the Istanbul Orthotic Prosthesis Centre, Syrian refugees patiently wait to be measured and fitted with replacements, including 18-year-old Semir. His parents and four siblings were killed in the civil war; he lost his legs, but now hopes to walk again.
"They helped me a lot with everything; praise be to God, everything will be fine, praise be to God," he said. "We are training a little bit on the new limbs, and with progress, they will change to the new prosthesis and I will start walking step by step."
The Istanbul centre was set up by Turkish charities the Humanitarian Relief Foundation and the Alliance of International Doctors, with financial support from Kuwait. Since its foundation five years ago, it has been working flat out.
Specially trained staff carefully craft each artificial leg and arm. The centre uses state-of-the-art technology, including 3D printers, all under the supervision of Professor Yasar Tatar, who says the brutality of the civil war has brought unique challenges.
"Especially in Syria, there is a high number of amputees, involving multiple limb loss," Tatar explains. "Burns caused by barrel bombs also posed major challenges for us."
He adds: "We have served around 2,050 amputees, and we have made approximately 4,000 prosthetic limbs. This is a huge number. Few centres in the world can make so many prostheses in such a short time."
February's deadly earthquakes near the Turkish-Syrian border added to the centre's work, with many refugees badly injured in the disaster.
'Reclaim our country'
Turkey hosts over three million Syrian refugees, along with large numbers of Iraqis and Afghans.
However, anti-refugee sentiment is growing. On a wall near the centre, graffiti has been sprayed: "Reclaim our country from refugees".
"There can be societal problems arising from the arrival of a large number of refugees. Turkey's recent economic problems have added to this," warns Mustafa Ozbek, a spokesperson for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation.
"On top of this, the elections saw some politicians especially bring up the issue of refugees, which has added to tensions," Ozbek said.
EU interests
In May's presidential elections, Erdogan's challengers vowed to repatriate millions of Syrian refugees. According to analysts, his re-election will be a relief to refugees and the European Union, which pays Turkey to host refugees.
"The Europeans probably were relieved when Erdogan was re-elected because that means the refugee deal, which matters a lot for the EU leaders, will remain intact [and] operational. So they will be continuing to enjoy the benefits of their comfort zone," suggests Serhat Guvenc, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.
He argues the refugee deal is key to underpinning Turkey's relations with the EU.
"It will also mean the continuation of transnationalism in Western-Turkish relations in particular. And both sides have learned to deal with each other on a transactional basis," added Guvenc.
Possibly mindful of public unease over refugees, Erdogan has vowed to step up the building of homes in a "safe zone" along Syria's border with Turkey to facilitate the voluntary return of a million Syrians. How many will take that offer remains to be seen.
