Lebanon Calls For The Return Of Syrian Refugees To Their Country

The Lebanese government called on the European Union to cooperate in developing a road map that would allow the gradual return of Syrian refugees to their country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in a statement, that “Lebanon is facing an economic and social crisis unprecedented in its contemporary history, with which 80 percent of the Lebanese people live below the poverty line.”
The ministry added that “the causes of this severe economic crisis may be multiple and intertwined, but the large presence of displaced Syrians on Lebanese soil constituted a major reason for the deep economic crisis that Lebanon is suffering from.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that “the continuation of linking the return to the political solution in Syria, in light of the obstruction of the political horizon, means that they will remain in Lebanon indefinitely.”
Also added that “the accelerating international developments have led to radical changes in the priorities and interests of the international community, away from what is happening in Syria.”
The ministry announced that “Lebanon is no longer able to continue using the traditional means of keeping the displaced in their places of existence, instead of searching for ways to return them to their homes in a dignified, gradual and safe manner.”

The ministry expressed its fear that “no one will be immune from the repercussions of this crisis, especially with the increase in the phenomenon of irregular migration boats heading to Europe, despite the strictness of the Lebanese authorities to prevent them.”
For months, government pressures have been mounting on about 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, who are suffering from difficult economic conditions, in light of the increasing racist voices against them.