Beirut, April 28 (IANS) Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar has called on Turkey to exchange information about the displaced Syrians returning home from Ankara with authorities in Beirut.
During his meeting with Ankara’s Ambassador to Beirut Ali Baris Ulusoy, the Minister expressed his concern that the Syrian refugees returning home from Turkey would be displaced again and pile into Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We fear that the Syrians returning from Turkey to Syria will flee again to Lebanon if an agreement is reached between the Syrian and Turkish sides,” Hajjar said.
Hajjar said he hopes that Ankara will exchange information about the displaced Syrians returning from Turkey to Syria with the Lebanese General Security.
The two officials noted that the two countries are both concerned about facing heavy repercussions due to the great number of displaced Syrians on their lands.
The Lebanese government on Wednesday tightened regulations on Syrian refugees as tensions between the displaced and the local citizens continues to grow.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, Lebanon is currently facing its worst socioeconomic crisis in decades and hosts the highest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometre worldwide.
The government estimates 1.5 million Syrian refugees and 13,715 refugees of other nationalities.
Ninety per cent of Syrian refugees are living in extreme poverty, with the majority of them settled in the Bekaa region.
While prices are skyrocketing due to a severe economic crisis, almost half of the Lebanese and 2/3 of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees are food insecure.
Some 90 per cent of Syrians, 73 per cent of Palestinian refugees, and over 50 per cent of Lebanese households currently need assistance.
Lebanon has struggled to deal with emergencies like the Beirut port blast, Covid-19, and a cholera outbreak earlier this year.
–IANS
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