Syrian Refugees in Turkey Get More Rights

Forced from their homes by civil war, millions of Syrians have been displaced, either within Syria or to neighboring countries.

There is no sign of an end to the four-year-old conflict, but there is some good news from Turkey, where 1.6 million Syrians have taken refuge.  The government has issued new regulations that grant Syrian refugees secure legal status in the country for the first time. According to The Times’s Ceylan Yeginsu, the rules clarify and expand rights for the Syrian population.

The changes, approved by the Council of Ministers in October, entitle the Syrians to identification cards and access to basic services like health care and education. Although the regulations don’t accord Syrians official refugee status or broader benefits like housing and public relief, they are an important step towards meeting vital needs and giving the displaced a greater sense of security. The Council of Ministers is also considering allowing the refugees to obtain conditional work permits.

There is much to criticize about the Turkey as governed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an increasingly authoritarian leader. But his antipathy for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has made him receptive to Syria’s refugees — the country has built 22 camps for the displaced — despite the domestic political tensions this has caused in Turkey.

Turkey’s generous approach serves to highlight how the rest of the world has fallen short. It has borne the overwhelming brunt of the refugee crisis, along with Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt.

Since the start of the war, fewer than 191,000 Syrians have been accepted for resettlement outside the region. Earlier this month, the international community offered shelter and support to more than 100,000 additional Syrians. But even that number won’t meet the need, and it certainly won’t end the fighting – the only enduring solution for Syria’s besieged civilians.

THE NEW YORK TIMES