Istanbul, 3 May 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Turkey plans to expand its programme to help Syrians return to their homeland amid increasingly hostile sentiment toward refugees in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that preparations were being made to enable 1 million refugees to return home voluntarily. The focus is particularly on sending them to regions in northern Syria, where Ankara occupies border areas. Some 500,000 Syrians have already returned home, Erdogan said. The worsening economic crisis in Turkey has intensified the anger mainly towards Syrian foreigners. Last year, there were violent attacks against Syrians, their homes and their businesses in Ankara. Leading politicians of the main opposition party CHP are campaigning for votes announcing that they will send all Syrians back to Syria if they win the elections. According to figures released by the Ministry of the Interior in February, Turkey is home to 3.7 million refugees from the neighbouring country.