Minister of Interior, Mazen Faraya, said Sunday that “the proven fact is that refugees’ home is their country of origin,” noting Jordan’s commitment to the voluntary return of refugees. This came in a speech by Faraya delivered on his behalf by the Director of Nationality and Foreign Affairs at the Interior Ministry, Basem Dahamsheh, at the regional conference entitled: “Waves of Migration between the Southern and Northern Coasts of the Mediterranean.” Fayar’s speech sheds light on the “collective responsibility” for supporting refugees, which requires activating the refugee resettlement programme. It notes that migration is a human phenomenon that differs, according to international legislation, from asylum. Faraya’s speech notes “the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II to support refugees and help them obtain the best services they need, commensurate with the volume of aid provided to Jordan. However, the priority of the Jordanian government is its citizens, not the refugees.” “Jordan hosts large numbers of refugees on its territory, as the number of Syrian refugees has reached more than 1.350 million, and the number of births since 2011 so far has reached 233,153; thus, Jordan is one of the countries hosting the most refugees compared to the population,” the speech explains. Faraya added that the presence of refugees on the territory in Jordan created financial burdens, especially with the less international funding for the Jordanian response plan to the Syrian crisis, adding that Jordan’s response plan for the first half of 2023 reached 7.5 per cent of the required funding. He noted the “urgent need” to increase the support provided to Jordan to enable it to continue to play its humanitarian role towards the refugees. Ahlan Network organised the regional conference.
Source: Jordan News Agency