Syria and Russia prioritize the return of Syrian displaced people to their areas liberated from terrorism

The Syrian and Russian Coordination Committees for the return of the Syrian displaced people affirmed on Wednesday that the return of the displaced people to their areas that have been liberated from terrorism is a national priority for the Syrian state, which is making every effort to rebuild the important infrastructure in the country and create job opportunities for the returning Syrians.

In a joint statement of the two committees, Syria and Russia affirmed the necessity of reconstruction and the elimination of terrorist hotbeds and remnants, in parallel with the efforts made by the Syrian state to secure what is necessary for the returning Syrian refugees.

 “In the context of implementing the decisions taken in the international conference related to the return of the Syrian Refugees and Displaced People and the reconstruction of Syria in 2020, work is being done to develop cooperation between Syrian and Russian ministries and official bodies at various levels,” the statement added, pointing out that the joint Russian ministerial delegation paid a visit to Syria, during which humanitarian aid was provided.

It went on to say: “ with the efforts of representatives of the Institute for the History of Material Civilization of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, an important work was launched in the study and preservation of the sites of the world’s cultural heritage on Syrian territory, such as Palmyra  and ancient Christian temples in the pre-Islamic era.” .

 “Syrian and Russian official bodies signed 15 agreements and memoranda of understanding on Syrian-Russian cooperation.  10 agreements are scheduled to be signed soon in the fields of legal cooperation, network security, customs union, economic and commercial cooperation and educational work. These agreements will open new horizons for strengthening partnership at the level of the state and official bodies and will serve interest of Syrian people,” the statement clarified.

It underlined that many Western countries, which are still taking a destructive position and work to mislead world public opinion, are still opposing the return of the displaced to Syria under the pretext that the appropriate conditions for the return of the displaced have not yet been achieved. But,  the Syrian and Russian states achieve the progress for the return of the Syrian displaced.

The statement stressed the need to “stop politicizing the humanitarian aid process for Syria and lift the sanctions that have harmed the Syrian economy and deprived the Syrians of achieving self-sufficiency.”

It called on the international community and humanitarian institutions of the United Nations and the countries hosting the displaced Syrians to participate actively in the process of returning Syrian citizens to their homeland and to effectively help the Syrian state.”

Inas Abdulkareem