Damascus government rejects Turkish President's plan to send one million refugees back to Syria

The Damascus government rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plan to send one million refugees, calling it an "aggressive game" and a "criminal project".

According to the official news agency Sana, the government of Damascus reacted to the Turkish state's statement that they were planning the return of one million Syrians.

"The statements made by the Turkish President reveal the aggressive games of this regime against Syria, its unity and its people," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria said in a written statement.

“The Syrian government rejects these plans and asks states financially involved in these criminal projects to immediately cease their support to the Turkish regime,” the statement added.

Not “security areas” but colonized territories

According to the Turkish President, since 2016 and the Turkish state's invasion operations, 500,000 Syrians have been settled in the occupation zones, which are referred to as "security areas".

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said: "The creation of these areas does not serve to protect the border territories between Syria and Turkey, but to colonize and establish an outpost to carry out terrorist plans against the Syrian people."