MOSCOW, July 4. /TASS/. The number of internally displaced persons and refugees in Syria is snowballing due to the continued fighting in the province of Idlib, UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said in an exclusive interview with TASS.
According to him, the stories of these refugees mirror the crux of the Syrian tragedy. "Sadly, we continue to see refugee and IDP trends moving in the wrong direction - and the fighting in Idlib is adding, not reducing, their numbers," the diplomat pointed out.
"The Syrian refugees I have met with and continue to consult - and the UN surveys refugees regarding their perceptions of and intentions to return - all say that most do want to eventually return home," Pedersen stressed. "But for now, not many are. And the reality is that many of them have concerns about returning at present, because it touches on their fears for their personal safety and that of their loved ones."
This is precisely the reason why the United Nations is insisting that the refugees return voluntarily, safely and in accordance with international legal standards. "I am convinced that as part of building trust and confidence, more can be done to help remove obstacles and create a better climate for returns," the UN special envoy underlined.
Pedersen also called to be mindful of the responsibility that Syria’s neighbor countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon assumed and continue to bear for the lives of millions of Syrians.