Syria sets up interagency staff for repatriation of refugees
DAMASCUS. Aug 7 (Interfax-AVN) - The Syrian government has set up an interagency staff for the repatriation of refugees, chief of the Russian Center for the Reception, Allocation and Accommodation of Refugees Maj. Gen. Alexei Tsygankov said.
"Under Syrian government directive No. 46 of August 6, 2018, an interagency coordinating body has been set up to organize interaction between the ministries concerned," Tsygankov said at a joint session of the Russian Center for the Reception, Allocation and Accommodation of Refugees and the Syrian interagency staff.
"Russia's proposals have been put in the foundation of the new body's structure and composition," he said.
The staff is supposed to set up "favorable conditions for the repatriation of refugees and provide worthy living conditions for them in line with the state's capabilities," he said.
Syrian Local Administration Minister Hussein Makhlouf has been appointed as head of the new body.
"Experts from the Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (FEDASIL) are considering ways for Syrian refugees to return by air," he said.