Turkey?s asylum policy within the context of its accession to the European Union: Example of Syria

All the fundamental rights and freedoms that humans have from birth without any discrimination are called human rights. The right of asylum is demanding protection from other countries in case a person cannot make use of the country?s protection, in which s/he resides or s/he opts not to make use of this due to justifiable reasons. A person is defined as a refugee when his/her application for the protection of another country is approved by that country.The right of asylum, which is a fundamental right, is regarded as a right offered by states due to the states? ongoing attitudes. Such a right of asylum is perceived as a right provided by states rather than being a fundamental right. The European Union tries to establish a common system for asylum. However, it becomes difficult to reach the targeted level when the states? national sovereignty is in question.Within the European Union Membership Process, Turkey had to harmonize its asylum policies in compliance with the European Union Legal Acquis. However, Turkey?s geographical position makes this issue complicated. In this study; the European Union asylum policy, which still continues to develop, is examined in an effort to examine the adaptation of Turkey?s asylum policy to the European Union Acquis. The results and effects of this adaptation will be examined with the example of Syria.Key Words: Asylum, Refugee, Sanctuary, European Union, Turkey