Mansur Yavaş on Syrian refugees: 'We will help those who want to leave'

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş attended the UNESCO Meeting organized by the Union of Historical Cities in Ankara and subsequently answered questions from journalists regarding the current agenda. Regarding the return of Syrian refugees to their home country, Yavaş said, "We will support those who want to leave."

'THEY DID NOT 'SHAKE' ANYONE BEFORE'

In response to a question regarding President Erdoğan's instruction to Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan to "shake up the opposition municipalities a bit" so that CHP-run municipalities pay their debts to the Social Security Institution (SGK), Mansur Yavaş said the following:

''In the first press conference I held on this subject, I said that municipalities account for 9 percent of the total debt. In other words, 9 percent of the SGK's receivables belong to municipalities. Half of this belongs to AK Party municipalities, and half belongs to CHP municipalities. For example, the debt of the municipalities in Ankara that passed from the AK Party and MHP to the CHP totals 2 billion lira. They did not 'shake' anyone before. They allowed them to accumulate debt in this way. However, now that the national will has manifested this way, we see that it still hasn't been digested. We are ready to pay our debts. We also know the previous situation. I had presented this to the President this year as well.

'THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO 'SHAKE' THE PUBLIC'

The SGK has approximately 1 trillion lira in receivables. 10 percent of this is from municipalities, but who is the other 90 percent from? According to the law enacted in 2006, they are required to disclose these every six months. Which bosses are they not collecting their receivables from? Which bosses are they postponing their receivables from? Why don't they shake them up? If they shake up the municipalities, they want to 'shake' the public, because municipalities are institutions that are in direct contact with the public. Nothing will happen to us. We will pay our debt, but one must be fair. I leave the judgment to the people of Ankara now.''

'THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES LEFT TO THEIR DEPARTURE'

Speaking about reports that Syrian refugees are returning to their country following the fall of the Assad regime, Yavaş said, "As far as we can see, there is no massive exodus yet, but of course we will all support and help those who want to leave. Because our country's demographics are under threat. Until now, there was an excuse like this: 'There is Assad's oppression when they go back.' Now that there is no such thing as Assad's oppression left, there are no obstacles remaining to their departure," he said.