BEIRUT: Lebanon's Labor Minister has requested international assistance in ensuring the safe and prompt repatriation of Syrian refugees inside the country to their homeland, the National News Agency (NNA) reported..
"Lebanon can no longer take the weight of hosting Syrian refugees because the country has experienced huge economic losses, not to mention high unemployment and crime rates, as a result of hosting the biggest number of displaced per capita," Mustafa Bayram said on Friday. The remarks were delivered by the Lebanese Minister during his virtual participation in the 110th session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva, as per reports.
"It is Syria's right to reclaim its citizens and reconstruct their country alongside foreign organisations providing aid within Syria," Bayram said. He also called for international reparations for the losses Lebanon has suffered as a result of hosting Syrian refugees for more than a decade.
Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister, Hector Hajjar, told an international conference in May that the country wanted USD 30 billion in compensation for hosting Syrian refugees. Lebanon continues to host the highest number of refugees per capita, with 1.5 million Syrian refugees estimated by the government.
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