Türkiye welcomes thousands of citizens returning from Europe for the holiday season

Every year, as the vacation period starts, Turkish citizens residing in various European countries embark on a long journey to return to their homeland. After going through passport and customs checks at the border gates, they enter Türkiye. Kapıkule remains the most preferred border gate for the Turkish diaspora, with 179,835 vehicles and 737,639 passengers entering the country through this crossing. Since the beginning of the holiday season on June 22, a total of 295,979 vehicles and 1,186,489 passengers have entered Türkiye through the border gates of Kapıkule, İpsala, Hamzabeyli, Pazarkule, and Dereköy, which are the main crossings for Turkish people living in Europe. İpsala follows with 49,194 vehicles and 193,371 passengers, then Hamzabeyli with 32,869 vehicles and 129,378 passengers, Dereköy with 19,606 vehicles and 87,267 passengers, and finally, Pazarkule with 14,475 vehicles and 38,834 passengers. Yunus Emre Kahraman, who traveled from Berlin, the capital of Germany, with his family, expressed his happiness at returning to his homeland. He celebrated his arrival by singing Turkish songs and said, 'We will soon set foot in our homeland. We have been eagerly waiting for this moment for a year, and thankfully, we are here now. Both my wife and I were born and raised in Germany, but we have always considered and will continue to consider Türkiye as our homeland. We came to see every corner and piece of our country.' Sedat Şaban, who was traveling from Germany to Sakarya, said that he had been on the road since Saturday morning. He expressed that coming to the homeland evokes a special feeling, saying, 'Being abroad is tough, and the longing is intense. May Allah give strength to all citizens who are making this journey. It's a completely different feeling, I feel like I'm at home.' Pınar Kendigelen, who lives in France, enthusiastically said she came to her country for a month-long vacation. Although the journey is challenging, Kendigelen stated, 'We may be exhausted on the road, but our homeland is worth everything; we would do anything for it. When we see our flag, we get emotional; our homeland means everything to us.'

Türkiye welcomes thousands of citizens returning from Europe for the holiday season

Since the commencement of the holiday season on June 22, a significant influx of Turkish citizens residing in various European countries has been observed at the border gates of Kapıkule, İpsala, Hamzabeyli, Pazarkule, and Dereköy ,the main crossings for Turkish people in Europe.