Over 3,500 Refugees Return to Syria From Turkey Since Start of 2019 – Reports

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - More than 3,500 Syrian refugees have returned home from Turkey through the Kessab checkpoint since the beginning of this year, media reported citing the Syrian migration authorities.

"3,610 Syrians have returned since the beginning of the year through the Kessab checkpoint in the north of Latakia province […] Last week, 327 people returned, while 20-30 people arrive daily", a source told the Syrian al-Watan newspaper.

The number of refugees returning to their homes in Syria has been gradually increasing, the source noted.

READ MORE: Moscow Ready to Consider All Steps to Evacuate People From Rukban — Lavrov

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in January that Turkey had spent $35 billion on hosting about 4 million Syrian refugees under the deal with the European Union, which the Turkish leader accused of failing to comply with an agreement.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. In late 2017, the victory over the Daesh terrorist group was declared in Syria and Iraq. Certain territories in the two countries are still being cleared of militants.

Turkey, alongside Russia and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been assisting Damascus through supporting the struggle against terrorist groups, providing humanitarian aid to local residents and facilitating the return of refugees.

READ MORE: Russia, Syria Accuse US of 'Colonial Mentality' Over Situation in Rukban Camp

*Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries.