Washington Institute: Russia exploits refugees in favor of al-Assad, Turkey recruited them in its conflicts

"After years of military cooperation in a conflict that has displaced millions of Syrians, al-Assad regime and Russia organized a two-day conference starting on November 11 in Damascus, and presented it as a way to advance the issue of Syrian refugees and displaced persons," the report said.

The report, titled “The Russian Conference on Syrian Refugees, Shows How Far Fetched a Solution,” added: “It was clear that the purpose of the conference was to promote al-Assad as a supporter of these displaced Syrians, and to make progress towards getting rid of international isolation and economic sanctions imposed on the elements of the Syrian regime, however, the United States and the European Union publicly objected to the conference and rejected any decisions that might emanate from it.

The report believed that the American rejection effectively foiled the conference before initiating, it considered the rejection the right choice, and it is the duty of international organizations and the countries hosting the Syrian refugees to ensure their comfort and adopt responsible policies in the region.

The report referred to the difficult conditions refugees face in neighboring countries, especially Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, describing them as "tragic living conditions."

The report said that the Turkish border guards killed 470 people before October 2020, including 89 children under the age of 18 and 59 women to prevent them from entering Turkey.

And added, "Turkey has not hesitated to threaten European countries to open migration routes to Europe, calling for massive assistance from the European Union and the United Nations. Turkey is also recruiting refugees to fight in foreign conflicts in Libya and recently in Azerbaijan."

The report pointed out that Syria's ability to deal with returning refugees is in doubt, and attributed this to the weak economic activity, the value of the currency, and the deterioration of the infrastructure in Syria due to the years of war.

And pointed out that the people of Deir ez-Zor have left the areas under the control of the Damascus government, Iranian groups and Russian forces, to the regions of northern and eastern Syria.

The report urged the host countries and international organizations to recognize and condemn the Syrian and Russian efforts to exploit refugees as political tools, and called on the international community to commit to not supporting the return of refugees except in the context of a broader political solution in Syria, provided that this solution ensures that the returnees are not subjected to coercive demographic arrangements, while ensuring The safety of displaced persons and refugees from the Damascus government.

The report concluded by saying, "The displacement of millions of Syrians is a product of al-Assad regime in many ways. It is the height of stupidity to re-assign the oppressed Syrians the responsibility of their resettlement."

According to the statistics of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 5.6 million Syrian refugees live in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt today, noting that Syria is home to 11 million internally displaced persons, while millions of refugees have sneakily entered Europe and other destinations further afield.

T/S

ANHA