Reports | 25 05 2020
Syrians in Turkey suffers from the difficulty of dealing with banks and money transfer companies and suspending their bank accounts on various charges, such as financing terrorism, or transferring funds to militants in Syria.
They also face difficulties in understanding the laws that guarantee their presence in the country legally, in the absence of clear decisions to the Turkish government, the right to the presence of Syrian refugees on its territory.
Western Union is "suspended"
"Getting the salary is something complicated," says Fares, a photojournalist, working for AFP, from inside Syria.
He adds: "When I come to Turkey to get a money order, the trip of torment starts, and I begin transiting from a Western Union's branch to another to receive my salary, I may need a few days to get my money, and the phrase of (System yuk) is always being said, and it means that the system is disabled.”
In order to get rid of this suffering, Fares created an account in the Turkish Agricultural Bank, because this bank and the Turkish- Kuwait Bank are relatively considered to be collaborator with the Syrian, where you don’t need official papers to open an account, but the joy of the young man has not been completed, because he was able to get his salary for only one month without delay, after that, the bank began to reject converting the money to the man’s account, if the amount was more than $ 1,000.
"This doesn’t happen always, it is about luck, sometimes money arrives on time, and sometimes returned." Fares explains.
The story of Murad looks similar, but he was able to be solved the problem with the bank by getting a proof that he works with a TV channel, and that his salary comes from abroad.
He says: "When the bank began refusing to receive payments and returning the money to the account that sent it; I went to the administration, where they ask me to bring the document from the senders, I did, and didn’t face any problems anymore."
The only solution is "finished"
On Wednesday morning, October 11, Kuwait Turkish Bank has issued a new decree, related to transferring Syrian funds in Turkey and opening Syrian accounts in the bank, as of the beginning of next year. Where opening an account will need a passport and Syria identity translated into the Turkish language, in addition to a paper proving home address.
While under the new resolution, the account owners will not be able to withdraw any amount of money without having a tourist residence, except for the ATMs, and according to the daily limit, and without having the tourist residence they will not be able to purchase using bank cards.
Thus, the customer has to have a tourist accommodation and to prove their place of residence and a passport, so they can withdraw money, according to telephone service customers in the bank.
The bank attributed this action, in order to stop "terrorist cells and members of the organization of the Islamic state from opening bank accounts, and make bank transfers to support terrorist operations."
The Turkish Kuwait Bank has put a deadline for its Syrian customers to complete these documents, each according to the branch where he opened the account in for the first time, until the date of February 18 of the year 2016, and if the client fails to complete his papers, his account will be suspended by the bank, and he will not be able to have any action, either deposit or withdraw or transfer.
Osama, a worker in a relief foundation in Turkey, said: "How can we get the tourist accommodation, and having it in the first place, requires a bank account in one of the Turkish banks with $ 5000 or 12 000 Turkish Lira, which is a very large sum."
He added: "Thousands of Syrians have opened accounts on “kimlik” card which is the Turkish identity of the Syrian refugees, and they do not have a passport, either because of their entry into Turkey in an irregular manner, or the end of their travel documents validity, how could they get the accommodation?, I think that the Turkish government began tightening on the Syrians. "
Banks are the loser side!
A Syrian investor, who works in workers in an intermediate company, revealed in "economy" website, that there are more than 500 intermediate Syrian company in the city of Gaziantep, explaining that the Syrians’ capital deposited in the banks of the city is estimated at about 30%, of the amount of money deposited in the banks.
But the Kuwaiti bank's recent decision, prompts the majority of the Syrians to withdraw their money, which in mostly deposited in "Dollar", that led to the big bank's loss due to the rapid movement of withdrawal that happened, while the profit recorded rose and exceeded 23% during 2014,according to officials.
What is the role of the United States?
Mamdouh Gazan, an economist, said to Rozana, that the new bank decisions, was a precautionary action, with growing the threat of ISIS and transferring money to them.
He added: "it could be linked to the recent decision imposed by the US Treasury Department earlier this year, on the foreign remittances in Turkey, for Syrian, Iraqi, and Iranian nationalities holders residing on Turkish territory, where the decision prohibited remittances with Dollar, sent to those holding of nationalities mentioned."
He attributed the leaked resolution, which was not acknowledged publicly that it aims to avoid the arrival of any money into the hands of extremists inside Syria.
The Syrians are wondering
"Justice and Development Party's victory in the recent parliamentary elections, gave us a dose of hope," This is what Ranim said, a Syrian resident in Turkey.
She added: "Hope doubled after a spokesmen assured that after the formation of the new government, there will be many historic decisions on Syrian refugees in Turkey, enabling them to live in dignity and integration with the Turkish community."
According to Ranim, "What is happening to the Syrians is complicating their presence on the Turkish territory more, where obtaining a “kimlk” becomes requiring time and several months to extract, and that opened the door for the brokerage, in addition to the travel permission in the event of mobility between the Turkish States or traveling out, not to mention the complexities of banks and remittances of money, so what is waiting for us after a hundred days? "
It is noteworthy that the number of Syrians in Turkey is about 1.8 million, distributed in the Turkish States, a large number of them is in the camps.