Geneva-SANA- The return of Syrian refugees to their homeland represents a fundamental goal of the Syrian government, and measures and facilities have been taken to provide them with a dignified return, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Bassam Sabbagh, said.
He indicated that some Western countries are the main culprit in preventing the return of refugees with the aim of exploiting this humanitarian file further for political purposes.
Speaking at The Global Refugee Forum 2023 in Geneva Sabbagh said “Over the decades, the world has witnessed refugee crises and human suffering caused by wars and conflicts sparked by some parties in many places, which cast their negative repercussions on several countries, especially the countries hosting refugees, and Syria was not immune from those repercussions”.
He added that Syria, which over the decades hosted refugees from many countries and was a safe haven and a home for decent living, has faced, since the beginning of 2011, a terrorist war that aimed to destabilize its security and stability, and destroy the development achievements it had realized, which prompted a large number of to internally displace or seek refuge in other countries, not to mention the economic blockade resulting from unilateral coercive measures imposed by Western countries which has contributed to increasing rates of asylum and displacement.
Sabbagh stressed that the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland represents a fundamental goal of the Syrian government, and over the past years it has made great efforts in this regard, including restoring security and stability, and following the approach of local settlements and reconciliations, in addition to taking measures and facilities that would provide the dignified return of Syrian refugees.
He went on to say “Syria also recently engaged consultations with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR), which led to an agreement on a working paper that was announced during the work of the 74th session of the Executive Committee of the Commission, indicating that Syria continues to work with the UNHCR on achieving greater and broader humanitarian access and a flexible presence, especially in key return areas and border points, and strengthening a communication and consultation channel that can be quickly referred to on all issues related to the return of refugees.
Sabbagh stressed that the Syrian refugee returning to their homeland, like other Syrian citizens, enjoys all the rights and duties guaranteed by the constitution and laws, adding that returnees also benefit from the amnesty decrees granted, and are not subjected to any discriminatory treatment as a result of leaving their previous places, or because of their seeking for asylum or because of their residence in an area that was previously or currently under the control of terrorist groups.
Sabbagh highlighted the need to stop the negative practices to which Syrian refugees are exposed in some host countries, most notably discriminatory measures and hate speech, and forcing them to sign their acceptance of positions that are inconsistent with their political and humanitarian convictions, not to mention the acts of violence against them that contradict the legal responsibilities and obligations of those countries.
The Deputy Minister voiced Syria’s full solidarity with the Palestinian people, who have been facing barbaric Israeli aggression for more than two months, reiterating Syria’s strong condemnation of what the Israeli occupation authorities are committing against them.