Lebanon’s Mikati calls on Syrians to return home

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for Syrians who sought refuge in his country to return home

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday called for Syrians who sought refuge in his country to return home following the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

“The consequences of the Syrian war made Lebanon home to the largest number of refugees per capita, with one-third of our population comprising Syrian refugees”, Mr Mikati said at a Rome political festival.

“The strain on our resources has been substantial, worsening existing economic trouble and creating fierce competition for jobs and services,” he said in ­English. “Today, and after the political transformation in Syria, the best resolution to this issue is for Syrians to go back to their homeland.”

Authorities say Lebanon, population 5.8 million, currently hosts about two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the UN – the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Many fled Syria after civil war began in 2011.

Mikati told a festival held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party that “the international community, particularly Europe, should assist in the return of Syrians”.

AFP