Syria rejects Erdogan's project to return a million refugees to "safe areas"

Today, Friday, Syria announced its rejection of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements regarding the return of one million Syrian refugees to "safe areas" in northern Syria on the border with Turkish territory.

"After the cheap statements made by the head of the Turkish regime about the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria, the aggressive games drawn by this regime against Syria and the unity of its land and people are revealed," the SANA news agency quoted a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement as saying.

The statement affirmed Damascus' rejection of what it described as ploys, and called on countries in the region and abroad that "have involved themselves in financing these criminal projects to immediately stop supporting the Turkish regime."

In early May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Ankara's preparation for a project that would allow the voluntary return of a million Syrians to their country, during his participation, via a video message, in the ceremony of handing over brick houses in Idlib, Syria, in which Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu participated.

President Erdogan pointed out at the time that about 500,000 Syrians have returned to the safe areas provided by Turkey since the launch of its operations in Syria in 2016.

"We are preparing for a new project that will allow the voluntary return of one million of our Syrian brothers that we host in our country," he added.

President Erdoğan indicated that the project will be implemented with the support of Turkish and international civil organizations.

He explained that the project will be largely comprehensive, and will be implemented in 13 areas, headed by Azaz, Jarablus, Al-Bab, Tal Abyad and Ras Al-Ain, in cooperation with the local councils in those areas.

But the Turkish president stressed at the same time that his country - which hosts about 3.6 million - will not expel Syrian refugees from its lands, and stressed that Turkey's doors are open to the Syrians, adding, "We will continue to host them, and we will not throw them into the arms of the killers."