İsmail Çataklı

Turkish officials on Oct. 16 shot back at Greek allegations that Türkiye forced 92 naked migrants into Greece, calling it "fake news" and accusing Greece of the mistreatment.

A total of 7,032 Syrians have repatriated to their homeland from Türkiye in August, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı has announced.

"The total number of those repatriating to Syria was some 514,000 in July," said Çataklı, who is also the ministry's spokesperson, while briefing the media about the Syrians' return.

The attacks on Alevi prayer houses, known as the "cemevi," in the capital Ankara are connected to some terror groups, the spokesperson of the interior ministry has said.

"Three people were detained. They have connections to some organizations," İsmail Çataklı said on late Aug. 3.

A total of 33,465 irregular migrants and 612 human smugglers have been detained, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı has said.

Speaking at a monthly press conference in the capital Ankara on July 4, Çataklı added: "4,659 of them were caught on the sea."

Çataklı also presented the data on the Syrians inside the country.

While the Turkish government is working on preparations to ensure safe and voluntary return of 1 million Syrians who are under temporary protection in Turkey, an expert has warned the prevailing problems regarding security, the judiciary and the education system could make the process difficult.

The total number of asylum seekers in Turkey is 4,082,693, and of them, 3,762,686 comprise Syrians under temporary protection, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı has said.

"About 122,000 of this number have been passive registrations for two years. In other words, there is no sign that they are in Turkey," daily Hürriyet quoted Çataklı as saying on May 8.

A third train carrying tons of humanitarian aid has begun its thousands of kilometers long journey from Ankara to its final destination Afghanistan.

As part of efforts to prevent irregular migration, Turkey will require fingerprints from applicants of Turkish visas, starting from African nations, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı has said.

Some foreign nationals arrive in Turkey through legal ways, but they overstay their visas, he noted.

Twenty-one people survived being buried under heavy debris when a two-storey building collapsed in eastern Turkey, the government said, with no fatalities reported as search operations ended early on Nov. 10.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon on a busy street in the city of Malatya, as residents filled shops on their way home from work.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi pays a working visit to Turkey to discuss migration and refugee-related subjects in the meetings, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sept. 8.

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Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan, migration management, and humanitarian aid to refugees with Grandi.