Thousands of Turkic migrants granted residence permits

ISTANBUL

Turkey has granted 89,951 residence permits and 57,902 long-term residence permits to members of Turkic communities from Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, China, Greece, Iraq and Afghanistan, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said at a fast-breaking dinner on June 2, referring to Uighurs from China, Iraqi Turkmens, Uzbeks, Turkmenistan nationals and minority Turks of Greece.

“Our approach to granting citizenship is the same. You don’t need to worry. I want you to know that we will use every chance in favor of you to provide that you will reach tomorrow as citizens of the Republic of Turkey, brotherly and sisterly,” Soylu said.

Members of Turkic communities were given access to health and social security services, and they were involved in the business life before they were naturalized in Turkey, he added.

Ali Yerlikaya, governor of Istanbul, also addressed representatives of the Turkic communities living in Istanbul at the same event, saying that issuance process of a long-term residence permit could take as short as three months.

The event at Avrasya Show and Arts Center in Istanbul’s Fatih district was organized by the Governorate of Istanbul and the provincial directorate of migration in Istanbul.