17 thousand IDPs have left Al-Rukban, while Damascus considers it a political maneuver
Northern Syria – North-Press Agency
Moscow has announced the departure of more than 17,000 IDPs from Al-Rukban camp, where Damascus considered the issue of the return of displaced and refugees is still a subject of maneuvers and political compromises by Western countries.
The Director of National Defense Management Center, Mikhail Mezentsev, told reporters in a meeting of the joint Russian-Syrian headquarters that because of the Russian and Syrian efforts, more than 17,000 internally displaced people have left Al-Rukban camp.
“According to the Russian and Syrian authorities, the camp included about 50,000 people,” Mezentsev said.
The joint Syrian and Russian coordinating bodies said in a statement following the regular meeting: “Washington and its allies continue to put obstacles in the face of the repatriation of Syrian refugees to their homeland, who had left their homes because of terrorist acts”.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Faisal Al-Muqdad during the meeting of the Commission stressed that “the subject of the return of the IDPs and refugees, has been and still is a subject of maneuvers and political compromises by the Western countries, or the so-called donor countries”.
Al-Muqdad stressed that “The cooperation and coordination with Russian friends have proved to be effective in supporting the Syrians in a humane manner,” adding that “nearly one third of the camp’s residents have been enabled to leave and return to their homes in Homs and the countryside of Damascus and elsewhere, with the sincere efforts of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the High Relief Committee”.
Al-Muqdad pointed out that “this process was completed by Syria and Russia efforts, without any involvement of other parties, knowing that the Syrian government has also approved the request for visits by the United Nations’ teams to the temporary shelters of returnees from Al-Rukban camp”.