The Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad, urged not to politicize the process for the return of the displaced to the locations from where they were forced to flee because of war and terrorism.

Damascus.- The safe return of the displaced is a paramount goal of the Syrian state, Al-Assad said during his reception to Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

He added that this process requires the reconstruction of damaged structures in the towns and cities to which these people are going to return, in addition to the rehabilitation of service facilities and implementing early recovery projects.

The ruler stressed that Syrian state institutions have taken many measures to ease this return and are working to ensure services within available capacities.

Responding to the same issue, Griffiths presented to President Al-Assad, OCHA’s action plan for the next stage, aimed at supporting early recovery projects in Syria and mobilizing efforts to help ensure the right conditions for the return of the refugees.

The Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal Al-Mekdad, reviewed with Griffiths the progress achieved thanks to the cooperation between Syria and the United Nations humanitarian agencies.

He stressed the importance of stopping the politicization of the humanitarian process and complying with UN resolutions, which emphasize the need to respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of states.

The Syrian Minister of Municipal Administration, Hussein Makhlouf, revealed that the number of displaced Syrians who returned to their homes in 2018 amounted to 2.5 million, for a total of six million since 2011. (PL)