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Refugees are not ‘ours vs. theirs’: Moscow urges West to avoid division in Syria aid work

The official emphasized the necessity of creating conditions for and facilitating the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their native domiciles in Syria

MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Russia is urging the global community against discriminatory practices in providing humanitarian aid to Syria, against dividing people into conflicting camps of ‘theirs and ours’, based on their affiliation with this or that political group, Igor Tsarikov from the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"Despite difficulties on the ground, generally the situation in Syria is gradually getting back to normal, and despite forecasts from some skeptics, the country is returning to a peaceful life," the diplomat told a joint session of the Russian and Syrian coordination headquarters on the return of the refugees.

"With this in mind, we would like to once again emphasize the importance of full-scale humanitarian assistance to Syria. Russia resolutely favors channeling international efforts into rendering humanitarian assistance to all Syrians throughout the entire country without any discrimination, politicization or preconditions," he stressed.

Tsarikov emphasized the necessity of creating conditions for and facilitating the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their native domiciles in Syria. "The fate of the people living in the Rukban and al-Hol camps that are located on the territories not under the control of Damascus, is a matter of specific concern, as the humanitarian situation remains difficult there," the diplomat went on to say.

"The problem of these camps can be solved only when the Syrian government regains control over these areas. We expect that the active evacuation of refugees from Rukban will be resumed shortly," he stressed.

He reiterated that militants from illegal armed units affiliated with the US continued preventing the exit of civilians from there, derailing the evacuation process by raising new unfounded demands.

"We hope that the leading countries of the West led by the US will eventually focus on the plight of Syrians who are forced to languish in these camps, will start taking efficient measures towards their dismantling and return the refugees to their homes," Tsarikov added.