Jordan Stresses Need for Favorable Conditions for Safe Return of Syrian Refugees

AMMAN (Xinhua) – Jordan and the United Nations should boost cooperation to create favorable conditions for Syrian refugees’ safe and voluntary return to their homeland, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting in Amman with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Safadi briefed Griffiths on the ongoing Arab efforts to achieve a political solution to the Syrian crisis, stressing that Jordan has surpassed its capacity to accommodate refugees.
Safadi also highlighted the humanitarian obligation and the regional and international security necessity to provide refugees with decent living conditions until they can return to their homeland.
The two officials also discussed the collaboration mechanisms between the kingdom and UN organizations to address the challenges of the Syrian refugee situation, as well as the latest regional and international developments.
Griffiths expressed his appreciation for the significant humanitarian role played by Jordan in hosting refugees and providing them with a decent life.
Lebanon, another host to Syrian refugees, has also repeatedly called on the relevant international organizations to facilitate the repatriation of the refugees to their country, in order to reduce the economic burden Lebanon bears in light of its staggering economic crisis.
Since late 2019, Lebanon has been mired in a deep financial crisis that has caused the Lebanese pound to lose around 90 percent of its value to the U.S. dollar and led its banking system to collapse, plunging the bulk of Lebanese into poverty.
The economic and financial crisis is mostly linked to the sanctions that the United States and its allies have imposed on Lebanon and foreign intervention in the Arab nation’s domestic affairs.