The joint meeting of the Syrian and Russian coordinating Commissions: Continuing work for the return and reconstruction of all displaced Syrians and refugees

Head of the Syrian Ministerial Coordination Committee, Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Engineer Hussein Makhlouf, affirmed that returning every refugee and displaced person to the homeland is a priority for Syria, noting that the number of returnees has reached more than 2.5 million since 2018, bringing the number of internal returnees since the beginning of the terrorist war to more than 5 million, and returnees from Overseas more than a million.

Makhlouf said in a speech today during the joint meeting of the Syrian and Russian ministerial coordination commissions at the Umayyad Conference Palace in Damascus, within the framework of the work of the fourth follow-up meeting of the International Conference on the Return of Syrian Refugees and Displaced Persons, with the participation of representatives of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations: The two Commissions seek to restore the largest number of Syrian refugees and displaced persons to their cities and villages. The past two days have witnessed dozens of bilateral meetings between ministries, governorates, and Syrian and Russian authorities, and the agreements that have been signed or draft agreements that have been approved all indicate the hard work and common will to enhance the maximum levels of cooperation as well as activities and exchange of the experiences and aid distribution tours are all indications of the depth of friendship that unites the two countries, which pushes forward towards achieving the goal for which we all seek, which is to return the largest possible number of Syrians to the homeland, which constitutes a major priority in the work of the Syrian state with all its institutions. Makhlouf explained that the number of returnees has reached up to the date of formation of the Joint Coordination Committee for the Return of the Displaced Persons In 2018, more than two and a half million people who have returned, bringing the number of internally returnees since the beginning of the terrorist war on Syria to more than five million, and the returnees from abroad to more than one million.

Makhlouf indicated that President Bashar al-Assad issued 22 amnesty decrees, the latest and most important of which was Decree No. 7 of 2022, which provides for a general amnesty for terrorist crimes committed by Syrians before the 30th of April 2022, from which thousands benefit at home and thousands abroad benefit as they can return immediately without any accountability or review by any party. Makhlouf pointed out the continuation of national reconciliation processes, as the status of 314,612 people was settled in the governorates of Daraa, Quneitra, Sweida, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, Aleppo, Damascus countryside and Homs, which facilitated the return of these people to practice their diverse activities and also contributed to the revitalization and flow of agricultural crops and the products between the various Syrian regions and also contributed to securing the employment needed for reconstruction in various sectors, especially in agriculture, industry, crafts and investment as well as production.

Makhlouf pointed to the completion of a number of agricultural and water projects, where wheat cultivation requirements were secured and more than 46 grain marketing centers were opened to facilitate farmers, in addition to the remunerative price approved by the state in full partnership with farmers, indicating that in the field of cities and industrial areas, the number of industrial and craft divisions is about 660 partitions which have been made during 2022. Construction began in about 630 factories, and about 575 factories started production, providing about 9 thousand job opportunities. These projects provide more than 2,500 job opportunities, while the greatest interest remains in small and micro enterprises, as legislation has been issued to regulate the necessary funding. Measures have been taken to simplify and facilitate work.

Makhlouf stressed that the Turkish occupation continues to support terrorists, steals Syria’s resources and abuses the Syrian people.  Turkish slanders about “safe areas” are nothing but an attack and a clear disclosure of the Turkish regime’s real ambitions in addition to its attempts to give a Turkish veil to the areas it occupies. The American occupation expresses the approach the US administration and its hypocritical and deceitful behavior as well as its double standards, as the US administration continues with its agents to steal the Syrian national wealth, which is the first reason for the suffering of the Syrian people by depriving them of their resources. Makhlouf stressed that Washington is far beyond what it utters of hollow slogans about human rights and people’s freedoms to cover its practices of banditry and racism and repudiation of all laws and values. This coincides with the repeated attacks by the Israeli entity on Syria, the latest of which was the bombing of Damascus International Airport, the sabotage of the runways and the destruction of one of the passenger terminals, and this is the biggest evidence of the barbarism of this entity and its violation of international laws.

In turn, the head of the Russian Ministerial Coordination Commission and Head of the National Defense Administration Center, General Mikhail Mizintsev, indicated in a video speech that the terrorist war imposed on Syria 11 years ago and the illegal Western sanctions imposed on it impede the return of the displaced and refugees and exacerbate the suffering of the Syrian people, pointing out that despite the these difficulties Syria continues to work towards rebuilding and developing the economy.

Mizintsev stressed that his country will continue to provide comprehensive support to Syria in order to restore normal life, combat terrorism, confront Western sanctions, rebuild infrastructure facilities, industrial and agricultural production, and develop bilateral cooperation in the economic, educational and cultural fields, noting that there are 23 cooperation agreements between the two countries in strategic and long-term areas, and that one of the most important directions of the work of the two coordinating Commissions is the implementation of a large-scale project to provide the production of Russian vaccines in Syria.

Mizintsev pointed out that the recent amnesty decree and the Syrian state’s measures to facilitate the return of the displaced and refugees will lead to a significant increase in the number of returnees, explaining that some Western countries ignore these positive changes and the efforts made by Syria to facilitate the return of the displaced and refugees.

Mizintsev expressed his country’s concern over the US Treasury’s decision to grant a license to carry out economic activities in northeastern and northwestern Syria because of its catastrophic consequences, indicating that the United States at the same time is spreading crime and weapons in all areas controlled by the so-called “international coalition”. The best example of this is the al-Hawl refugee camp, where the situation has become tragic in humanitarian terms and the crime rate is still high, and Washington and the West are using al-Rukban camp as a base for terrorist recruitment in order to continue targeting the Syrian state.

Mizintsev pointed out that the West, under fabricated pretexts, seeks to exploit the suffering of the Syrian people and allocated huge funds during the so-called “Brussels Conference” to put obstacles in the way of restoring normal life in Syria. Mizintsev explained that the United States and its allies refuse to coordinate with the Syrian government to deliver humanitarian aid to those who deserve it and support terrorist organizations to prolong the crisis, and this is the main goal of Western countries which seek to justify their illegal presence on Syrian territory in order to deplete the Syrian natural resources.

Mizintsev pointed out that the West is using in Ukraine the same criminal methods that it used against Syria by supporting terrorists and neo-Nazis, in addition to the West’s efforts to prolong the military confrontation by providing Ukraine with weapons used by the Nazis to bomb civilian neighborhoods and kill innocents in the Donbass region.

For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Faisal Miqdad, affirmed that Syria, despite the coercive measures and economic siege, continues to work on the return of the displaced and refugees to their cities and villages after creating the necessary conditions for this, indicating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies receive daily dozens of requests from refugees who want to ensure that they are included in the amnesty decree with the aim of returning to their home.

Miqdad indicated that Western countries prevent the return of these displaced persons and encourage them to stay outside their homeland to launch cheap media campaigns against the Syrian state and hold it responsible for the non-return of the displaced under the pretext that they did not create the appropriate conditions for this return.

Miqdad stressed that when Syria defends its land and people, it also defends human values, as it has always been the cradle of humanity, but Western countries are far from practicing this human dimension in their policies, as they practiced colonialism in its worst forms and now practice political and economic exploitation in all its meanings.

Miqdad pointed out that the Wild West did not say a word in condemning the recent Israeli aggression that put Damascus International Airport out of service and prevented tens of thousands of citizens from using a means of transportation internally and externally. There is also a United Nations plane now at Damascus International Airport that is unable to take off or leave the airport to carry out the humanitarian work of the United Nations. This is in addition to another flight awaiting repair following what was destroyed by the Israeli aggression.

Miqdad said: The destruction that occurred in Syria and the suffering that affected all its citizens in their livelihood would not have taken place without the full Western support of the United States, Britain, France and others in the European Union, pointing out that any conference held on Syria without the participation of its government is hypocrisy and trading in the suffering of the Syrian people resulting from terrorism supported by the West, indicating that the funds allocated during these conferences, especially the so-called “Brussels Conference”, go to the terrorists who continue to target the Syrian people and infrastructure.

Miqdad stressed that Syria does not compromise its independence, dignity, principled positions, and effective role in the region and in the world as well as in international forums although Syria adopts a different opinion than those opinions adopted by the West.  Syria has always been the voice of truth and the voice of the real struggle for the support of all the peoples of the world. That is why Syria has been targeted through a continuous terrorist war for more than 11 years, because its enemies can no longer tolerate hearing positions in international forums that differ from their opinion and their attempts to dominate the world today.

Miqdad stressed that the Turkish occupation in northwest Syria is allied with the Israeli occupation in its south and the American occupation in the Rukban camp and in northeastern Syria. The Americans strengthen any future on the Syrian lands, and they must return to their senses and be an integral part of the Syrian people’s struggle to end the American occupation of our land.

Al-Miqdad pointed out that the cheap statements of the head of the Turkish regime about the establishment of a so-called “safe zone” in northern Syria reveal the aggressive games that this regime is plotting against Syria and the unity of its land and people, indicating that this region that Erdogan wants is to settle the terrorists he trained and all countries should not support his ambitions. colonialism that violates the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

Miqdad reiterated Syria’s support for the Russian friends in their stance to defend justice and right in the Donbass region and to defend Russia’s national security, indicating that this stance gave great hope to the peoples of the world that we are truly marching towards a bright future for humanity away from greedy and brutal Western control in today’s world to continue in ignoring the rights of the people.

Miqdad stressed that what Russia is doing now is defending the Charter of the United Nations and the rights of the oppressed peoples as a whole, because the West wants to continue its control over the world and does not want any other power to have a role in confronting its geopolitical ambitions, which deeply explains its positions towards what is happening in today’s world, of an unprecedented mobilization in the face of Russia, Syria and other countries, and of standing in the way of the aspirations and rights of peoples, including the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their land.

Miqdad indicated that the continued incitement, lies and deception by the United States are no longer deceiving the peoples of the world, who have begun to realize that standing by the right defended by Syria and Russia is an honorable position, which means an absolute commitment on the part of humanity to the mechanisms of the United Nations that, if implemented, will implant justice in all parts of the world, while we see fraud even on the Charter of the United Nations as  the United States and its Western allies tremble when the issue of democracy is raised in international relations and they do not want to hear it. They want a democracy that meets their colonial interests, greed and exploitation of other peoples of the world.

For her part, the Russian President’s Plenipotentiary Envoy for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova Belova, pointed out that Russia’s experience in protecting children in refugee camps in Syria helps Moscow to save children and restore a smile to their faces in the Donbass region, where they have been subjected to bombing and have suffered harsh conditions for eight years.

Belova explained that Syria has an important experience in saving children in times of crisis, and that Russia is keen to continue cooperation and benefit from Syria’s experiences in this field, indicating that Moscow had plans to rescue children from al-Hawl camp, but due to the state of chaos in the camp, Russia has not been able to  reach them and therefore their suffering will continue.

In turn, the Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Anna Kuznetsova, stressed that protecting children in the Syrian refugee camps is a priority for Syria and Russia, while international organizations concerned with the protection of children do not show great interest in saving them, noting that this confirms the double standards as international legal mechanisms are suspended if the issue is not related to the interests of the United States and the European Union.

Kuznetsova pointed out that the same thing happens in the Donbass region when international organizations turn a blind eye to the missiles fired by the Ukrainian Nazis to kill children and target hospitals, schools and infrastructure, stressing that Russia will continue to work to protect them.

Kuznetsova indicated that there are thousands of children from more than 50 countries in refugee camps in northeastern Syria under conditions that threaten their lives and safety, stressing that saving children from the camps is not only a commitment to humanitarian values and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, but an important issue related to international security, combating terrorism and extremism of minors. Kuznetsova called for the formation of a multilateral committee that includes representatives from Russia, Syria and other countries to expand humanitarian cooperation in this field.

For his part, Russian State Duma deputy Kazbek Taiseev affirmed his country’s keenness to develop relations with Syria and actively contribute to the process of rebuilding what was destroyed by terrorism, indicating that 30 projects were included in a roadmap for the industrial and commercial cooperation agreement between the two countries.

Taiseev pointed out that the crisis in Syria and Ukraine clearly shows that the United States is the epicenter of bloody wars and the enemy of peace in the world, pointing out that the sanctions imposed on Syria and Washington’s theft of Syrian oil impede the recovery of the economy.

NR