Following the attacks carried out by Israel and the US and the increase in military tension in Iran, Turkey has put its forces on high alert on the border with Iran; to this end, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi held a border security meeting with the governors of the border provinces, as well as police and gendarmerie officials, in which border protection and a possible increase in migratory pressure as a result of the conflict in Iran were the main topics discussed.
According to Turkish media reports, the meeting – held yesterday and chaired by Çiftçi himself – analysed the impact of the current situation in the Middle East on Türkiye. During the session, protection measures at the highest level were discussed, as well as the sending of reinforcements to the border in the event of an influx of irregular migrants and refugees; possible crisis scenarios, emergency action plans and ways to establish better coordination between the state agencies involved were also discussed, as well as how to expand the current capacity of the forces deployed on the border with Iran.
At the meeting, the minister stressed that Turkey will not make concessions on border security, public order and migration management, and said that Ankara is closely monitoring the situation in the region and is keeping all its forces on alert. The steps to be taken to reinforce operational capacity on the ground – in the face of possible collateral effects arising from tensions related to the current conflict in Iran – were also assessed, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s recent words assuring that Turkey has so far not registered any problems “in terms of border security”.
In parallel, Turkey and Iran announced on 2 March the reciprocal suspension of daily round-trip crossings “at the three customs crossings” on their more than 550 kilometres of common border, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat announced in the last hours: “Iran is allowing its own citizens to enter its country through Turkey… We are also allowing our own citizens and third-country nationals to enter our country from Iran,” Bolat declared.
Concern in Ankara over possible mass exodus of Iranians to Turkey
The US and Israeli attacks – which have caused extensive damage in Iran and hundreds of deaths, according to Iranian sources, as well as the death of Ayatollah Khamenei himself – have raised concerns in Ankara about a possible exodus of Iranian citizens to Turkey. Before the conflict, however, Türkiye already maintained important border security measures against the passage of irregular immigrants, given that Iran is also an important transit route for Afghans attempting to cross the Turkish border irregularly. Currently, it is estimated that Turkey hosts more than 74,000 Iranians with residence permits, along some 5,000 refugees from Iran.
Before the outbreak of the war in Iran, Turkey’s eastern border and especially the Van province border – which concentrates the longest stretch of border with Iran – already had extensive measures in place to curb irregular migration, smuggling and infiltration by terrorist elements. A concrete wall some 380 kilometres long was erected on the Turkey-Iran border years ago; in addition, trenches were dug along the 553-kilometre-long border, which on the Turkish side is guarded by towers equipped with thermal cameras and advanced surveillance systems.
On the ground, Turkey has deployed units known as the ‘Border Eagles’: gendarmerie troops and volunteer security guards who monitor and remain vigilant for possible infiltrations from Iran, while police patrols regularly monitor towns near the border with Iran.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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