Under the bright lights of Istanbul’s Ataturk Cultural Centre, a young boy walked onto the stage flanked by his classmates and teacher. His name is Muhammed Eymen. He, as a toddler, fled Syria in 2011. In 2024, he returned with his family after the fall of the Assad regime. Eymen’s presence at the summit was a suggestion of closure: a child raised in Türkiye, now heading home.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paused his address to welcome him at the pivotal summit titled “Türkiye’s Migration Management Model in the Turkish Century” in Istanbul on Monday, April 28^th. Eymen stood alongside his classmates and teacher from Ahmet Kabakli Primary School. Their presence brought to life the success of integration, solidarity, and shared growth.

“These little refugees you see here are our children,” the President said. “Their teachers raised them with care. This is what it means to be Ansar—to offer not just protection, but belonging.”

President Erdogan spoke of the country’s migration story not in terms of just numbers or crisis, but as a continuation of history, and a reflection of identity.

“We said we would never turn our backs on those fleeing the bombs,” he said, invoking an earlier, more transactional promise by former opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to send Syrians back. “We saw their migration not as a crisis but as a Hijra—from Mecca to Medina. Our perspective was different.”

For President Erdogan, migration is not a matter of public tolerance, as he called it a “civilisational duty”. He cited Anatolia’s role as a historic refuge: for Jews fleeing the Inquisition, Eastern European Christians, Muslim exiles from the Balkans, and victims of the Nazi regime.

“While Western powers trigger many of these crises, they remain absent when it comes to sharing the burden,” president Erdogan said. “Three out of four refugees today are hosted not by wealthy countries, but by low- and middle-income nations.”

“Today, whoever is in trouble in our region, thanks be to God, first turns to Türkiye as a safe haven,” he said.

Of return, hope and gratitude

A similar sentiment echoed in erstwhile refugees during their interviews with TRT World. Syrian families described difficult choices, shaped not only by safety, but by memory, dignity, and longing.

Noor M., a mother of three, explained her family’s decision to return:

“My husband went back to Syria to arrange accommodation and find a job. Then he will return to take us as a family. We will go back to Syria when my children’s schools close for the end of the academic year. We managed to live in Türkiye during the war in Syria, but now that the war is over, we want to go back home.”

Rana B., who fled Aleppo along with her children in 2013, reflected on both sides of the journey: “It was hard for us when we first came to Türkiye and set up our lives during the war in Syria,” she said. “However, it will be hard again when we go back to Syria to start over—but we will never forget the friendly Turkish people who opened their hearts and helped us through these difficult times. Our friendship as two nations will remain forever.”

Managing migration with dignity

Prof Dr Sare Aydin, who is an academician at Istanbul Commerce University and is also President of the International Migration and Refugee Association, placed the summit’s discussions within a global context and spoke to TRT World:

“Today, there are nearly 260 million migrants, over 71 million displaced persons, and more than 26 million refugees worldwide. Migration is not simply about economic choice—it’s about survival.”

Aydin, whose father was a guest worker in Germany in 1969, recalled the indignities of exclusion. “I know what it feels like to be labelled, to be excluded. Migration is not something to fear. It’s something to manage—thoughtfully, humanely, with courage.”

She praised Türkiye’s historic generosity: “We are a society that opens its doors, shares its bread, and believes in dignity for all. But we must move beyond short-term policies and create social, economic, and cultural integration frameworks—because research shows that only around 30% of refugees ever return home.”

“We are the shelter”

During his address, President Erdogan stated, “Anatolia has always been a homeland of immigrants throughout history. All the oppressed who have been subjected to oppression, persecution and violence in the places they live have always seen Anatolia and the lands of Türkiye as a safe haven.”

The summit unfolded against a backdrop of staggering statistics. According to president Erdogan, there are over 281 million migrants worldwide and more than 120 million forcibly displaced. At least 20 people, he said, are forced to flee every minute due to war, disaster, or persecution.

Türkiye, he stressed, has absorbed far more than its share, currently hosting 4.03 million migrants—including 2.77 million Syrians under temporary protection, 1.09 million legal residents, and 176,000 asylum seekers under international protection.

President Erdogan closed his address by reaffirming the ethical backbone of Türkiye’s approach: “We are not merely a stop along the road. We are the shelter,” he said. “We do not turn away the oppressed—because our history does not permit us to. We are the heirs of those who said: ‘I would give away my crown and my throne, but not those who seek refuge.’”

And somewhere in that vision stood Muhammed Eymen, the young student who crossed a border, learned a language, stood on a stage, and prepared once again to return home with dignity.