Turkey grants residence permit to 30,106 Syrians

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler stated that 30,106 Syrian nationals were granted residence permits, and foreign national ID numbers by July 1, 2013, but this didn't mean a grant of Turkish citizenship. In response to a parliamentary question from Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) Ankara Deputy Ozcan Yeniceri, Guler said that the Turkish ID number was issued to Turkish citizens only, and foreigners granted at least 6 months' residence were issued a separate ID number reserved for foreign nationals.   Guler said that Syrian nationals entering Turkey legally were granted temporary residence permits for up to 1 year upon application to the provincial security departments, except in Hatay and Sirnak. Guler stressed that the residence permit didn't mean a grant of Turkish citizenship.