Lebanese FM calls for intensifying international efforts to guarantee safe return of Syrian refugees to their country

Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wahbeh has affirmed the necessity of intensifying international efforts to guarantee safe, decent and gradual return of the Syrian refugees to their homeland without preconditions after the circumstance become suitable for this return.

 

In his speech via video during the International Conference on the Return of the Syrian Refugees being held at the Umayyad Palace in Damascus, Wahbeh said that after more than 9 years of the crisis in Syria, Lebanon hopes that all who have been displaced will return to their homeland in order to contribute to the reconstruction and development of their country as the largest part of the Syrian areas have become secure and stable.

 

The Lebanese minister added that the main obstacle that faces reaching a permanent solution to the issue of the Syrian refugees is the absence of a unified international will and lack of good intention.

 

He went on to say that the presence of about 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon contributed to aggravating the economic burdens of the Lebanese state due to the exceptional health and economic conditions that Lebanon, the world and the region are witnessing which necessitates more than ever to intensify the international efforts to guarantee the safe, honorable and gradual return of the Syrian refugees to their homeland.

 

Wahbeh expressed his country’s hope that the international conference on the return of refugees would contribute to finding a solution to the crisis of displacement and asylum, and that it forms a basis for the return of displaced Syrians and an important stage in easing the suffering of the countries which are hosting large numbers of refugees.

 

On his part, the Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism Ramzi Meshergeyeh said that after ten years of the crisis in Syria which led to the displacement of millions of Syrians, the conference has stressed the Syrian state’s intention to work on safe and decent return for the Syrian refugees.

 

He indicated that Syria needs the efforts of its citizens in rebuilding what the war and terrorism have destroyed.

 

Basma Qaddour