Turkey: a pathway to Europe for forced migrants from Middle East or a legal buffer zone between Europe and Middle East? : a study focusing on Europeanization process of Turkish migration framework and Syrian forced migrants in Turkey

Abstract

This thesis was written in order to analyze and show whether Turkey – a country with a vital strategic and geographical position in terms of migration- is a legal buffer zone, which EU uses while tackling with irregular migration, or is it a pathway, which migrants use to pass through on their way to Europe. The reforms on Turkish legal framework, European influence on these reforms, Turkish and EU policies regarding migration, pros and cons of Europeanization process of Turkish migration framework and social and legal status of Syrian forced migrants in Turkey were analyzed and discussed while finding an answer to the main thesis question. Syrian forced migrants who have fled their countries after 2011 crisis and settled in Turkey were the focus group while analyzing these issues and finding an answer to the main thesis question. Both legal frameworks and policies of EU and Turkey were analyzed with usually ordering the issues into two different eras; as pre-Syrian crisis and post-Syrian crisis. As a conclusion, this thesis finds that Turkey has both of these roles depending on the individual forced migrant’s needs and shows the reasons why Turkey has different roles in international migration arena.