?Syrian refugees bid farewell to their relatives and friends before going back to Syria, in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, Jan. 24, 2019. Dozens of Syrian refugees returned on Thursday to their homeland from various areas in Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. (Xinhua/Khalid)
BEIRUT, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Syrian refugees returned on Thursday to their homeland from various areas in Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The return of refugees took place under the supervision of Lebanon's General Security in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), NNA reported.
Khattar Nasreddine, head of the Public Security Information Division, said the return of refugees, which gained support among Arab countries after the Beirut summit, will continue in the near future.
The Arab Economic and Social Development Summit concluded in the Lebanese capital on Jan. 20 with the Beirut Declaration calling on the international community to support Arab countries hosting Syrian refugees and encourage Syrian refugees to return to their country.
Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees according to the UNHCR, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country at 1.5 million.
To secure the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia has drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.
Earlier in the day, Lisa Abou Khaled, spokeswoman of UNHCR, told the independent online newspaper Elnashra that 90 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon hope to return to their country.
