Turkey: the population rather hostile to the reception of Afghan refugees
Audio 01:02
Istanbul aerial view (Illustrative image).
© REUTERS / Umit Bektas
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
With the capture of Kabul by the Taliban, departures from Afghanistan intensified.
Like the border countries, Turkey fears that a new wave of refugees will arrive on its soil.
Internally, President Erdogan has been criticized for his migration policy and demonstrations of hostility against refugees have increased in recent weeks.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Céline Pierre-Magnani
The stall on the corner of Imam Adnan Street in central Istanbul is Hasan's.
Hairdresser for over 40 years, he has known all eras and all kinds of people.
And yet, today he is worried about the arrival of a new wave of Afghan refugees.
“
If there is war in Afghanistan, it is not Turkey's fault.
So why should we welcome them
?
In this case, Germany, France, England, the United States too must take their part.
They should come to an understanding among themselves to deal with the problem.
"
"
We already have economic problems
"
Although he has never had any problems with refugees, Hasan says he is tense in his daily life and worried about the future of his country: “
In Turkey, we already have economic problems, we have internal problems, so if they also come in addition.
We will have to give them work, feed them… and us
?
We are the ones who are hungry.
Yes, we are hungry.
"
To avoid a new wave of refugees, Turkey has said it is ready to work with Pakistan to stabilize Afghanistan.
Ankara is also having a wall built on its eastern border.
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Turkey
Afghanistan
International Migration
Immigration
Refugees