Seven Syrian children under state care and protection in Türkiye were entrusted to Syrian authorities in Damascus after the completion of the social assessment process. Minister Göktaş said the children included three girls and four boys.
Göktaş said the children had family ties in Syria and that the voluntary return process had been launched under the memorandum of understanding signed between Türkiye and Syria. Göktaş emphasized that ensuring the children grow up in loving and safe environments was the primary priority.
The return of children with family ties will continue
Göktaş said they aimed to reunite the children with their families, adding that the place a child needs most is a loving family environment. Göktaş said she believed the Syrian children would have a peaceful and happy future and that the work would continue with the children’s best interests as the basis.
Göktaş said return processes had been launched as Syria moved toward stability and relations between the two countries developed. She announced that other groups of children would also return to Syria gradually after the necessary social assessments were completed.
Göktaş said cooperation under the agreement between Türkiye and Syria would continue in various areas, and that work for women, children, people with disabilities and older people would be developed together with Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.
Visit to the Hayat Melodisi Orphanage
As part of her program in Damascus, Göktaş visited the Hayat Melodisi Orphanage, the children’s new place of residence. She was accompanied by Hind Kabavat, Syria’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and Nuh Yılmaz, Türkiye’s ambassador to Damascus.
The two ministers held a press briefing after the orphanage visit and the children’s handover to Syrian authorities. Göktaş said they would perform Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque, visit the Elderly Care Center and discuss efforts to develop cooperation between the two countries.
Kabavat: People come before stone and concrete
Hind Kabavat said efforts to protect families and children were important to cooperation between Türkiye and Syria. Kabavat said reconstruction did not mean merely rebuilding buildings, adding that people came before stone and concrete.
Kabavat said Türkiye had hosted millions of Syrians during the years of war and crisis and thanked Türkiye for its support and hospitality. Emphasizing that the family was the basic building block of society, Kabavat said Türkiye and Syria had signed an agreement on protecting the family in May 2025, followed by a memorandum of understanding to continue work with the relevant ministry.
Kabavat said cross-border cooperation would continue and that they aimed to carry out joint work in more areas in the future. Thanking Türkiye’s Embassy in Damascus and Ambassador Nuh Yılmaz, Kabavat highlighted the importance of the Hayat Melodisi Orphanage, where the children would be received.
Kabavat announced that work would be carried out at the orphanage to reunite the children with their families and protect their futures. She said the children would receive Arabic lessons and translation services related to Türkiye would be provided.
