MESOP : A BORDER WALL – Turkey to build series of walls on Syrian border to curb illegal crossings

BGN News Istanbul 27 June 2015 – Ordered by Ankara to find a solution to the rise of illegal border crossings, the governors of the southeastern border provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis and Şanlıurfa have decided on the construction of a chain of 3.5 meter-high concrete walls along Turkey’s 899 km border with Syria.

Between the back-and-forth passage of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants and a growing Syrian refugee crisis, Turkey has decided to take action against illegal crossings along its 899 km (559 mile) border with Syria.The Ministry of the Interior has allegedly allocated TRY 5 million (USD 1.88 million) each to the governors’ offices of the southeastern border provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis and Şanlıurfa to be used towards establishing a ‘border-long security zone.’

According to a report by Turkish daily Milliyet, the governors of the four provinces supposedly met at Hatay province recently. Hatay governor Ercan Topaca, Gaziantep Governor Ali Yerlikaya, Kilis Governor Süleyman Tapsız and Şanlıurfa Governor İzzettin Küçük went through the projects they had on hand during the meeting, eventually deciding to work together on a single coordinated project: a border wall.

The joint project involves the construction of a series of interconnected concrete walls with an average height of 3.5 meters along the length of Turkey’s border with Syria. There will be a long asphalt road along the length of the border on the Turkish side allowing for the rapid transportation of security personnel. Behind the asphalt road, further in on the Turkish side, will be a steel wire fence topped with barbed wire. Additionally, a thermal camera system and border-long illumination systems will also be set up to ensure monitoring 24 hours a day.

Due to the high cost of such a project, the governors have also decided to request an additional allocation of TRY 10 million (USD 3.8 million) from Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.

June 27, 2015 | BGNNews.com | Istanbul