Turkey (Turkiye) Issues - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Disputes - international

Turkey-Armenia: in 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered;  in early 2022, the two countries held talks twice aimed at normalizing relations, which could lead to the opening of their land border, shut since 1993; in 2000, Turkish authorities complained to UNESCO that blasting from quarries in Armenia was damaging the medieval ruins of Ani, on the other side of the Arpacay valley

Turkey-Azerbaijan: none identified

Turkey-Bulgaria: none identified

Turkey-Cyprus: status of northern Cyprus question remains

Turkey-Georgia: none identified

Turkey-Greece: complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea, including rights to explore oil and gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean and illegal migrants transiting from Turkey into Greece; the Aegean Maritime Boundary is complicated by the close proximity of Greek islands to the western shores of the Turkish Anatolian peninsula, representing the primary source of conflict between the two countries

Turkey-Iran: none identified

Turkey-Iraq: Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq

Turkey-Syria: Turkey completed building a wall along its border with Syria in 2018 to prevent illegal border crossings and smuggling

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 10,244 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 3,344,092 (Syria), 44,955 (Ukraine) (as of 30 June 2023) (2023)

IDPs: 1.099 million (displaced from 1984-2005 because of fighting between the Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs are Kurds from eastern and southeastern provinces; no information available on persons displaced by development projects) (2021)

stateless persons: 117 (2018)

Illicit drugs

a significant transit country for illicit drug trafficking; an increase of heroin and methamphetamine seizures along the Turkiye-Iran border; Syrian drug traffickers play a significant role in Turkiye’s drug trade; domestic Illegal drug use relatively low compared to countries in the region

NOTE: The information regarding Turkey (Turkiye) on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Turkey (Turkiye) 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Turkey (Turkiye) 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.