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Conflict in Syria

Problem of refugees’ return to Syria remains most acute, says Russian defense official

The deputy defense minister noted more than 245,000 people have returned to the Syrian Arab Republic since 2015

BEIJING, October 25. /TASS/. The problem of the Syrian refugees’ return to their homes is the most difficult now, said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin in his speech at the eighth Beijing Xiangshan Forum on security on Thursday.

"The problem of the refugees’ return to Syria is the most acute now," the deputy defense minister said.

Read also

Russia in talks with US on evacuating refugees from Syrian camp

The deputy defense minister noted that "more than 245,000 people have returned to the Syrian Arab Republic since the start of the operation, September 30, 2015." "Thanks to the undertaken efforts about two out of seven million Syrian refugees also expressed a wish to return to their homes," the colonel general noted.

"For this purpose [the Syrian refugees’ repatriation] the Interagency Coordination Headquarters on the Return of Refugees is operating in Moscow, and the Centre for the Reception, Allocation and Accommodation of Refugees is operating in Damascus. The Syrian Interagency Coordination Committee on the Return of Refugees has started operating, where the monitoring and operation of the refugees’ return process is being carried out on-line," Fomin specified.

The Russian deputy defense minister noted that "the issue of organizing an international conference on the refugee’s return problem is pending." "We call on all states to join the humanitarian mission in Syria," he concluded.

The eighth Beijing Xiangshan Forum on security is running from October 24 to 26 in Beijing. It was organized by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, China Association for Military Science (CAMS) and China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS). Representatives for defense ministries, armed forces and international organizations, as well as former military officials, politicians and scientists from 79 countries are taking part in the forum.

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