MOSCOW (Sputnik) — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday the Turkish Interior Ministry was preparing a regulation that would offer citizenship to Syrians to help Turkey look after their own. Turkey has a Syrian refugee population of over 2.5 million.
The Hurriyet Daily News reported that the new guidelines set out eligibility criteria for Turkish citizenship, including skills in Turkish language, adaptability and capability to fill in the roles that would help Turkey care for, treat and educate Syrians refugees.
Candidates for citizenship will face a long process of screening by intelligence agencies and security checks to see if they have a criminal record. Priority will be given to those who previously invested in Turkey or somehow contributed to its society.
