These events I watched from Shanghai, and then I commented on social media: "Those who burned the Turkish flag are not Syrians but people without Syria! They are the anti-Syria Syrians living in the influence zones established by the AKP within Syria. Why? Because they are disturbed by the Ankara-Damascus normalization effort, which the region is pushing for. They use the Kayseri incident as an excuse to pit Ankara against Damascus. Previously, they had provoked similar incidents whenever normalization was on the agenda."

THE GOVERNMENT IS GUILTY THREE TIMES OVER

On the other hand, Erdoğan blaming the opposition for the Kayseri events is a complete distraction. The true responsibility for all incidents that have occurred and will continue to occur as long as the AKP's policies persist lies with the government itself.

The AKP is thrice guilty in the refugee issue, these are as follows:

1. The government is guilty for opening the borders, sending jihadists to Syria, and filling Turkiye with refugees.

2. The government is guilty for blocking refugees from going to Europe, signing readmission agreements with the EU in exchange for funds, and turning Turkiye into a buffer country and a refugee depot in front of Europe.

In my book "Buffer Country" (Kırmızı Kedi Publishing, 2021), I detailed these agreements and how they defended them. In 2016, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said, "If not for Turkiye, refugees would invade Europe," and in 2019, President Erdoğan said, "The peace in Europe depends on keeping 4 million refugees in Turkiye." In other words, to prevent Europe from being disturbed, the government ensured Turkiye's peace was disturbed, and to prevent Europe from being invaded, it ensured Turkiye was invaded!

3. The government is guilty for continuously rejecting opportunities for normalization with Damascus, effectively blocking the return of refugees.

IMPERIALIST MIGRATION STRATEGY

Let's not forget: The migration and refugee issue has never been a simple matter of "opening the door to the oppressed"; it has a higher dimension of an "imperialist migration strategy" and a secondary dimension of Erdoğan's dual goal: Using refugees both in Turkiye's Ummah project and establishing an "influence zone" in Syrian territory through the FSA (later renamed the Syrian National Army, SNA).

In other words, the source of Turkiye's refugee problem is the imperialist policies of the USA and the EU, and the AKP government that collaborates with those policies.

This scenario leads us to the perspective that should be taken on the issue:

THE REACTION SHOULD TARGET THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

Directing the reaction to refugees instead of the actual sources of the problem— the USA, the EU, and the AKP—is a grave mistake, and more importantly, it is falling into a trap considering the potential consequences. The reaction should target the source of the problem, not its result.

The best reaction to the refugee issue is to support Ankara-Damascus normalization and to pressure the government to engage with Damascus. (Moreover, as I mentioned in my previous article, regional developments now compel normalization.) Because if normalization comes to fruition:

1. The Damascus administration will regain sovereignty over all its territories, eliminating the possibility of a PYD state sponsored by the USA.

2. Jihadist organizations sent/coming to Syria from all over the world to overthrow Assad will be eliminated.

3. Ankara will have to disband the FSA it has established and supported.

4. The return of Syrians to their homeland will begin. The opposition must abandon the search for normalization and détente with the government and instead push for a firm political stance to pressure the government for normalization with Syria.