The Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee said that the Directorate General of Migration Management agreed to reactivate the temporary protection identity cards that had been suspended in recent months. The move aims to allow Syrian nationals whose ID cards were suspended to once again have access to the services of the Turkish Red Crescent.
The Directorate General has suspended some of the temporary protection ID cards for several security, legal and administrative reasons, especially the ID cards for those whose original places of residence need to be updated. In December 2019, it demanded that Syrian nationals update their data before mid-March 2020.
The Committee pointed out that many Syrian households were unable to have their ID cards updated due to the measures the Turkish government has taken to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. These ID cards were consequently suspended, which deprived their holders from access to the services of the Turkish Red Crescent.
The Committee added that it put forwards suggestions to resolve this issue as soon as possible, pointing out that the Directorate General of Migration Management responded positively with the request.
It indicated that the Directorate General will begin by reactivating the ID cards of children under the age of 18. It will facilitate the updating of data for individuals over the age of 18 who have been unable to get their records updated as a result of the measures being taken to combat the coronavirus.
The Committee noted that it collected the data of 300,000 Syrian households residing in Turkey at the request of the Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management which intends to draw up lists of the Syrian households that were affected by the preventive measures being taken to combat the coronavirus with the aim of providing them with assistance.
The global spread of the pandemic caused the closure of factories, companies and shops, which affected many workers, especially the Syrian refugees who work on an informal and per diem basis.
The Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee was formed by the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) and the Turkish Ministry of the Interior with the aim of addressing the affairs of the Syrian refugees in Turkey. The decision was made following a meeting between SOC’s President, Anas Abdah, and the Turkish Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu on July 24, 2019. It is made up of the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Head of the Directorate General of Migration Management and a number of senior officials in the ministry as well as SOC’s President Anas Abdah and relevant SOC members. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
