As the Syrian conflict persists without any tangible resolution to end it, the Syrian refugee crisis is growing by the day, imposing tremendous burden and challenge on the neighboring countries. Turkey has already been shouldering much of this burden by hosting over 2 million Syrian refugees. Turkey has already spent billions of dollars to accommodate refugees, but it is increasingly affected by economic, political, and social consequences of the Syrian displacement crisis. Recently, refugees from Turkey as well as other hosting countries began to head to Europe in the hope of finding better living conditions. This massive exodus of refugees has led to Europe’s largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. This presentation will focus on the situation on the ground and explore following issues: What concrete steps must be taken to handle the refugee crisis? How long Turkey and other hosting countries can accommodate growing number of Syrian refugees? What can be done to better integrate refugees in Turkey? Are European governments doing enough? What are the prospects of collaborative efforts by European institutions and Turkey in handling the crisis? What will be the impact of latest legislative election in Turkey on the Syrian crisis?

Speakers will also talk about the recent elections and the theories that Turkey might face.