ANALYSIS: "Fears spread among Syrians in Turkey"

When the Syrian civil war broke out, the President of Turkey welcomed Syrians with open arms. Then it became popular with Syrian refugees to name their newborn babies to Erdogan.

Now the president is no longer talking about fraternity and hospitality but about large-scale plans to send back Syrians. Those who do not have their papers in order may be forced to sign that they wish to return home voluntarily. Horror stories of threats and violence have heightened concern among the refugees.

But what lies behind President Erdogan's dramatic turnaround and hardening attitude toward the Syrian refugees?

It is now about apprehending a fierce opinion. Among the Turks there is a boiling dissatisfaction with the 3.6 million Syrians in the country. Hostility has increased sharply in pace with the economic crisis. Four out of five residents in Turkey want the Syrians to be sent home, according to a recent survey.

The refugee issue is considered to have played a crucial role in the stinging defeats that Erdogan's party felt in the spring local elections in Istanbul and other major cities.

But it's not just about the home opinion. The refugees are also used as a baton in the international game surrounding Erdogan's heart issue: to establish a so-called security zone in northern Syria.

The main purpose of the zone is to drive away the Kurdish YPG forces from the Turkish border. The Kurdish forces are a branch of Turkey's arch-enemy PKK, and at the same time a close ally with the US, which has been hailed for its fight against IS.

For years, Erdogan has been pushing the United States to implement the plan for a security zone. This summer, the Turkish military rattled with heavy weapons at the border, prompting the US to cooperate, but without specifying the security zone's design or schedule.

Since then, the United States has delayed the issue. And now Erdogan seems to be using the refugee issue to get his will through. With carrot and whip, he has repeated his ultimatum to the EU: Help me with the security zone and I will help you with the refugees. If there is no security zone, the gates for a new large-scale refugee crisis in Europe will be reopened.

Erdogan's latest play sounds almost like a sales pitch to EU politicians:

"Depending on the size of the security zone, we can offer space for two to three million Syrian asylum seekers, currently located in Turkey and Europe."

But is the plan for a security zone where Syrian refugees can be banished really realistic?

Very doubtful - in any case, it seems difficult to implement the plan without the major powers USA and Russia. The Erdogan needs their military support and active cooperation.

The Syrian refugees in Turkey are increasingly vulnerable. One may also wonder how those who baptized their children to Erdogan feel today.