Turkish and European perspectives on Syrian migration since 2011

Migration is as old as history of mankind, but it has become one of the world's biggest problems today. Turkey has been exposed to growing migration wave, because of its location in proximity to crisis regions in the Middle East. The European Union (EU) has been disturbed from this issue because the refugees who crossed the border of Turkey are based on the boundary of Fortress Europe. Both Turkey and EU need to timely address this problem, as both of them are faced with an irreversible refugee influx. Turkey and EU have approached differently and produced different policies about recent migration wave. In this study, the civil war which began in Syria after 2011, the wave of Syrian migration towards Turkey, and Turkey and EU's approach will be examined. First, the perspectives of Turkish government, NGOs and people will be evaluated. Second, European Commission, NGOs and people's approach to subject will be analyzed. Finally, the aid from Turkey and EU, and differences in the policies implemented will be compared. During the study, public opinion polls, EU Commission reports and Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) reports will be used. Turkish authorities consider that EU couldn't receive enough initiative. On the other hand, EU is assessing the situation differently. This thesis aims to find out an answer to an extent and degree of European and Turkish policy convergence. Key Words: European Union (EU) and Turkey: refugees, humanitarian aid, international cooperation, migration policy