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DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said on Monday during a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the return of refugees who left the country due to the conflict in their country is a “priority” in the next stage, two days before a conference organized by Damascus, with the support of Moscow, to discuss the issue of his return.
There is a contradiction in Assad’s speech, in a situation like Syria’s, that the government is not supposed to give priority to returning refugees, as they will constitute an additional burden on an authority mired in the worst financial crisis and economical.
The return of displaced persons and refugees presupposes that the State provides them with the minimum requirements for life in the areas to which they will return, which clearly indicates that the Syrian regime is using the refugee card to break its isolation and try to attract the international sympathy, especially in several countries whose territories are hundreds of Syrian refugee families.
Many countries, including Turkey, want to get rid of this burden, and in recent months forced transfers of dozens have begun, but to areas controlled by Turkish forces in northern Syria.
In the call broadcast by the Syrian presidential account on Facebook, Al-Assad addressed Putin and said that the refugee issue is “the number one priority during the next stage, especially after a large part of the territories have been freed and the battlefield has receded despite continued terrorism. “
Damascus is organizing, with Russian support, on Wednesday and Thursday a conference on the return of refugees to their country, in which it is not yet clear which parties will participate in it, but neighboring Lebanon, which is home to around a million and a half of refugees, according to official estimates, will send a representative to the Minister of Social Affairs of the interim government, Ramzi Musharraf.
Lebanon has repeatedly complained of the burden it bears to host large numbers of Syrian refugees who fled civil war and suffer many social and life problems in refugee camps on Lebanese soil.
The Lebanese Hezbollah, fighting in support of Syrian regime forces, is pushing for the normalization of relations with Damascus from the gates of the economy and the return of displaced persons and refugees.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Omran Reda, will attend the conference as an “observer”.
Al-Assad considered that the “greatest obstacle” to the return of the refugees “besides the persistence of terrorism in some areas to which they are supposed to return is the siege of Syria,” referring to the sanctions imposed by Western countries. to their country, led by the United States.
He commented on the Russian efforts in terms of “the possibility of easing, lifting or eliminating this blockade”, and explained that the return of the refugees “needs to ensure the basic necessities necessary for their livelihood, such as water, electricity and schools, in addition to the issue. to move the economy. “
Since its outbreak in March 2011, the Syrian conflict has caused the displacement and displacement of more than half of the population within and outside the country, including more than five million and 500 thousand refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner. United for Refugees who have fled mainly to neighboring countries.
Russia, Damascus’s most important ally for years, has sought the support of the international community to launch the reconstruction phase and the return of the refugees, while donors are linking any aid to reach a political solution to the conflict.
Human rights organizations warn, in turn, that the cessation of battles in various areas of Syria does not mean that they are now prepared for the return of refugees due to the lack of infrastructure and services and the fear of human rights violations .
Many refugees fear arrest and harassment if they return to their homes and areas. In many war-torn areas, minimal necessities for living are not available, which is another problem adding to a long history of problems, including property and property identification documents and identity cards.
Since the beginning of the conflict in the world in 2011, Syria has witnessed its worst economic and living crises, which are accompanied by a record collapse in the value of the Syrian pound and the erosion of the purchasing power of Syrians, the majority of them. who live below the poverty line.
Government forces took back more than 70 percent of the country from fighting opposition factions and jihadist organizations.
Ankara and Damascus are coming together to use the refugee card for political calculations and to make a profit amid the humanitarian crisis for tens of thousands of displaced Syrians.
