Secretary-General of the Syrian Coalition Nazir Hakim said that the campaign launched recently against the Syrian refugees on social media sites in Turkey is the result of an alignment between some hardline forces in Turkey which are opposed to the presence of Syrian refugees. He noted that these hardliners are seeking to exploit irresponsible behavior of a minority of Syrian refugees.
In a statement, Hakim said that hardline Turkish forces are seeking to exploit irresponsible behavior of a minority of Syrian refugees to advance their political agendas. These forces are “trying to incite the Turkish public against a people that has been subjected to the worst crimes committed by the criminal of our modern times, Bashar Assad and his allies,” he added.
The actions of some Turkish hardliners that do not correspond with the values, customs and principles of the brotherly Turkish people risk negatively affecting the fate of the Syrian refugees in Turkey, Hakim added.
Hakim stressed that the Syrian refugees in Turkey “must respect Turkish law and the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Turkish law as well as stay away from any irresponsible behavior.”
Hakim urged every Syrian family living outside Syria, especially in Turkey, to make sure the behavior of their offspring tallies with the rules and laws of host countries. He stressed that “the enemies of the Syrian people must not be allowed to exploit these individual acts that serve the Assad regime only as they risk muddy the relationship between the Syrian refugees and their host countries.”
Hakim pointed out that the Syrian Coalition will continue to coordinate with the Turkish government to prevent any rift between the two brotherly nations. He added that any and all offenders should be held to account and penalties stipulated by Turkish law applied. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)