Lebanon's President Aoun: Lebanon Can No Longer Keep Hosting Syrian Refugees, Is Talking With Syria on Phased Returns
BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on November 3 that, given Lebanon can no longer continue hosting Syrian refugees, Lebanon is in continued communication with Syria to seek the phased return of Syrian refugees still in Lebanon to their own country.
Aoun made the remarks when meeting Susanne Raab, head of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. He said the international community and humanitarian organisations should deliver supplies originally intended for Syrian refugees in Lebanon directly to Syria, which would help encourage refugees to return home. Raab said that, given Lebanon's important strategic position in migration management and curbing illegal migration, the centre is ready to assist Lebanon on migration policy, border control and professional training.
On November 2, a Lebanese government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri arrived in Damascus for a visit. According to the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, the visit focused on the question of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, including how to help them return home.
By way of background, millions of Syrians fled to Lebanon and other neighbouring countries after the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011; after Syria's political upheaval in December 2024, a transitional government was formed. Data from the UN refugee agency show that, as of September this year, more than 700,000 Syrian refugees had returned to Syria from Lebanon; however, the Lebanese government says more than one million Syrian refugees remain in Lebanon.
Source: Lebanese Presidency
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：黎巴嫩贝鲁特天际线，摄影 Vyacheslav Argenberg，CC BY 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
