Syrians expect practical results from the International Conference on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, which will be held in Damascus on November 11 and 12, president of Syria Bashar al-Assad told on Monday during a video conversation with president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
"We have high hopes for this conference, we hope that the results will be practical. The Syrians are not only ready but also eager to implement practical agreements," the president of Syria said. He also noted that the Syrian people "appreciate the interest of other states to take part in this meeting".
Al-Assad also drew attention to the attempts of a number of countries to politicize the refugee problem, which, he said, is Syria's national problem. "This [refugee problem] is a humanitarian problem, but many countries are trying to politicize it. However, it is a national problem [of Syria] and the authorities of the country are interested in its solution. This is one of the main priorities for the Syrian government, especially after a large part of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic was liberated and we were able to eradicate terrorism in those territories," the Syrian leader pointed out.
He added that the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland is hampered by the economic blockade imposed against Syria, as well as the ongoing problem of terrorism. "We continue to maintain contact with a large part of the states where [Syrian] refugees live. We know that they are trying to return to the country. <...> Especially after Syria has granted certain concessions and benefits that encourage the return process. However, in some regions of our country, the problem of terrorism persists, along with the economic blockade against Syria. This does not help us meet the priority needs of Syrian refugees,"al-Assad said.
In this regard, he expressed hope that "it will be possible to slightly ease the economic embargo against Syria or break through it by joint efforts in order to create suitable conditions for the return of refugees".
The Syrian leader thanked Russia and its leadership for helping organize the International Conference on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, despite "all international pressure".
Conference on Refugees
On October 29, al-Assad discussed preparation for the conference with special representative of the Russian president on Syrian settlement Alexander Lavrentyev. During the conversation, the difficulties in the organization of the event related to "attempts of some states to disrupt the conference or to influence the countries willing to take part in it" were touched upon. The parties agreed that the upcoming conference "will be a good chance to discuss the refugee problem from the humanitarian point of view, without politicizing the issue".
Earlier, the Syrian side sent invitations to participate in the event to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, a large number of countries and international organizations.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Klimentiev / TASS
Based on materials from TASS