Turkey's approach to the refugee problem and its effects on foreign policy

Refugees are people who demand protection on an international level, but whose situation is unclear and have not been officially recognized by other states. Anyone who has not filed an application or who has been denied an application can also be considered as a refugee. People who are waiting for an answer due to their asylum conditions should be able to benefit directly from the main principles of refugee protection which are principle of non-refoulment and humanitarian behavior. The term of asylum seekers is often used for people who are waiting for the application of the refugee status to be finalized by the state or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with a specific result. Even if the situation of refugees is not officially recognized by the states, they cannot be sent to their countries of origin and their rights should be protected. The aim of this study is to address the refugee problem in the long-term agenda within the scope of Turkey's approach and to show the effects of the refugee problem on Turkish foreign policy. In this context, the study was completed in four parts. In the first part, the concept of refugee problem and the formation of refugee law are discussed. In the second part, refugee status determination and refugee rights are explained. The third chapter is about the relations between Turkey and before and Syria after the Arab Spring. In the fourth chapter, Turkish foreign policy is discussed within the refugee issue.