Countries committed to safe return of refugees to Syria — Russian Foreign Minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday said Russia, Syria, Iran and Turkey remain committed to the voluntary, safe return of refugees to Syria and are ready to support them.

Lavrov made the announcement at a quadrilateral ministerial meeting on the normalisation of ties between Syria and Turkey in Moscow.

“For us, for all countries present here, promoting the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced people to the places of their permanent residence in Syria and ensuring their right to support are a key principle.”

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government and various opposition groups, including terrorist organisations.

Alongside the hostilities, the Middle Eastern nation has been suffering acute health, energy and economic crises.

For 12 years, the protracted Syrian crisis has placed an estimated 15.3 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

The UN Refugee Agency said those in dire need of assistance includes 5.5 million refugees forced to flee Syria to neighboring states and 6.8 million internally displaced people.