Syrian crisis is getting more complex, warns UN envoy

A lot of the credit must goes to Turkish citizens, said Kamal Malhotra, the U.N.’s envoy to Ankara regarding Turkey’s hosting of at least 1.6 million Syrian refugees.

“There has been low tension. It is growing but it is still at a very low level. It is very sporadic, not systematic … I think this is consistent with Turks’ reputation as very good hosts,” Malhotra told me when we met for an interview.

The Syrian humanitarian crisis is one of Malhotra’s most important dossiers, among many others. The U.N. is now adding a new dimension to its regional refugee response plans: Resilience.

“What we are looking at is the resilience of both host communities and refugees, particularly those outside of the camps,” explained Malhotra.

“We are not just looking at immediate needs, but medium and long-term needs. When they go back, hopefully they will be in a better position to pick up their lives. But [the emphasis is] not just on the refugees themselves, but also the communities that are bearing the burden. This includes livelihoods, support for income generation, and support for public services,” he added.

Does strengthening resilience mean recognizing that Syrian refugees are here to stay?

“It’s a recognition not of the fact they are here to stay forever, but that it is a medium to long-term crisis, not a short-term crisis. Even if there was a political solution tomorrow, it would still be a while before they could go back. Everyone recognizes that this is medium to long-term crisis and that we have to find new strategies,” Malhotra said.

I asked directly whether Turkey had reached its limit to receiving new refugees.

“If there was a significant increase, Turkey would be...