Won’t bar entry to Syrians: Turkey

ANKARA: Turkey said it would never close the doors to Syrian refugees fleeing death and is instead boasting that its unemployment rate has dipped by less than half a percentage point in last year despite accepting two million refugees from the war-torn neighbour.
If it contrasts starkly with the reaction in Europe to Syrian and Iraqi refugees that has triggered a worldwide debate on ethics and economics in a weakening global situation, Turkey is patting its back vigorously.
And the complicated issue of war migrants and labour force may figure in the G-20 meeting of finance and labour ministers this week.
The resistance to refugees in Europe and elsewhere is traced to the fears of domestic populations that it would hurt their employment opportunities in an already depressed economy.
But Turkey wants to refashion the debate. “Despite the flow of refugees, we have taken measures to ensure there was no impact on employment figures. We have even given subsidies for job creation,” minister for labour and social security, Ahmet Erdem said. The unemployment in Turkey came down from 9.6% to 9.3% last year.
For the vibrant country adjoining Syria and buffeted by its own woes of the Islamic State and domestic Kurdish separatist movement increasingly turning violent, the growth figures are solid.
Holding the Presidency of the G-20 in 2015, Turkey has grown positively for 22 consecutive quarters now. And it wants to share the experience with others who feel the refugee crisis complicates the issue of jobs.
As per figures, two million refugees have cost Turkey six million dollars after it decided to open its doors to the beleaguered young and women of Syria. Now, a good bunch of them are part of Turkish labour force or can look forward to calls.
Minister Erdem said there was a first batch that presented itself at the border, was registered and given work permits.
The second group was the one that started late out of compulsion of a worsening war and just forced its way across the border. “They have been kept in the refugee camps and are being given the registration. They can get calls for jobs,” he said.
Erdem said the government anticipated the problems and incentivized job creation with tax concessions in social security for those who ensured “formal” employment for workers and also paid social protection of workers who were given training on the job for six months. “If those workers were kept in job beyond six months, then social protection payment by government was extended to even 36 months,” he added.