Members of the Syrian community in Istanbul filed a complaint with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, expressing their dissatisfaction with the conditions inside the Consulate General and demanding urgent reforms to end the suffering of visitors.
The Consulate General in Istanbul suffers from several problems that directly impact Syrians residing in Turkey. These include difficulty booking appointments due to the frequent disruption of the online appointment platform or its inactivity.
Some visitors wait for weeks without receiving a response after submitting their requests through official channels. Brokerage and bribery are widespread, as are overcrowding, long waits, and a lack of communication and transparency.
In a letter addressed to the Ministry, the complainants indicated that they face significant difficulties when visiting the consulate, most notably difficulty obtaining appointments, delays in processing applications, poor treatment by some staff, a lack of organization and oversight, and unjustifiably high costs.
They emphasized that these problems have negatively impacted the image of the diplomatic institution and increased the burdens on Syrians residing in Turkey, who are already suffering from the conditions of asylum and expatriation. The signatories called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene immediately to reform the situation at the consulate in Istanbul, establish a transparent mechanism for processing transactions, directly monitor employee performance, and ease the burden on Syrians abroad.
The letter concluded by stating that members of the community place their trust in the ministry, hoping that their demands will be met as soon as possible.
Fares Al-Rifai - Zaman Al-Wasl
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