Russia Planning for Int’l Conference on Syria Refugees

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was working in coordination with the United Nations to hold an international conference on Syrian refugees.

The representative of the Ministry at the Joint Coordination Center for Refugees Returning to Syria, which was established by Moscow months ago, said that Russia was coordinating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to prepare for the conference, without revealing any date.

The diplomat, Igor Tsarikov, said at a meeting that according to the UN, more than 80 percent of Syrian refugees are willing to return home.

“The UNHCR says that 82 percent of displaced Syrians want to return if the circumstances allow for it,” said Tsarikov.

He added that more than 70,000 people have returned since the launch of a Russian initiative last July.

Meanwhile, Tsarikov said that the United States should provide security guarantees for the UN humanitarian convoy that is set to travel to Syria's Rukban refugee camp to deliver essential aid by the end of the month.

"Currently, the UN is considering delivering another humanitarian convoy to Rukban in December. We believe that the United States, which, in fact, occupies the territory of Syria where Rukban is located, and is therefore responsible for everything what happens in this area, should provide the UN, International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent with all the necessary security guarantees and the possibility of targeted delivery of the goods, including access to the places of its distribution", Tsarikov he added.