Turkish disinformation center refutes claims of 2.5 million refugees in Istanbul

The Centre for Combating Disinformation under the Turkish Presidential Administration has dismissed claims that approximately 2.5 million refugees, mostly Syrians, reside in Istanbul, a city of 16 million. The actual number of Syrians in the metropolis is just over half a million.

"Reports that there are 2.5 million refugees in Istanbul do not correspond to reality. According to the Turkish Interior Ministry's Migration Department, 1,087,017 foreigners live in Istanbul. Of these, 530,612 are Syrians who are under temporary protection, 3,252 foreigners are under international protection, and 553,153 foreigners have residence permits," TASS reports, citing the agency.

The Centre's rebuttal was in response to Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who, during an earlier meeting with business representatives in Germany, claimed that some 17-18% of Istanbul's official population, or 2.5 million people, are refugees, mostly Syrians. He described this as unfair to the residents of Turkey's largest city.