AFP
Gulf kingdom dismisses ‘false’ reports claiming it has not helped in ongoing refugee crisis.
Saudi Arabia on Friday responded to “false and misleading” reports about its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, saying it has given residency to 100,000 people from the war-ravaged state.
The kingdom’s statement followed a similar defense issued Wednesday by the United Arab Emirates, after questions were asked about how wealthy Arab states have reacted to the outflow of more than four million Syrians.
Germany alone is expected to receive 800,000 asylum-seekers from Syria and elsewhere this year. Many more Syrians are sheltering in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
An official from Saudi Arabia’s ministry of foreign affairs, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the kingdom did not want “to show off or brag in the media” about its response to Syria, where civil war began four years ago. “However, it sees the importance of clarifying these efforts in response to false and misleading media reports about the kingdom,” the unnamed official said.
Saudi Arabia “made it a point not to deal with them as refugees” but has issued residency permits to 100,000 Syrians who wished to stay in the kingdom, the official said. “With that came the right to free education, healthcare and employment according to a royal decree in 2012 that also states that Syrian students visiting the kingdom be admitted in public schools,” the official added.
The kingdom has supported millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and other countries in coordination with the host countries, while providing a total of about $700 million in humanitarian aid, he said.
No Gulf country has signed the U.N. Convention on Refugees, which sets standards for the treatment and rights of those fleeing to a new country. Gulf states have been among the most ardent opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, providing funds and weapons for rebel groups fighting him.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia and its neighbors last year joined a U.S.-led military coalition bombing extremist Islamic State group rebels in Syria.
3 comments
Why Syrians are forced to leave their homeland? How many countries are co-partners of USA to make life miserable for the Muslims? why Saudi Arabia is funding against Shias? Why Saudis thinks they are only the true Muslims? I request to Saudis, let people live with the believes they are born with. Same request to Iranians as well. This sectarian fighting is killing us, making us weak. It is more than enough already.
The evacuation of Syrian people from their motherland is part of Greater Israel plan. Every resisting force is nulled in order to expand the Israeli borders, from Neil to Euphrat.
Unfortunately the world knows it as a Shia Sunni conflict but on real ground Takfiris are on fight with the rest of Muslims & non Muslims. Takfiris always has proved that they are close partners of Zionists for the Greater Israel plan in process.