BEIRUT, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Swiss government for supporting it in refugee resettlement.
Lebanese Minister of State for Refugee Affairs Mouin Merhebi made the remarks during a meeting with a Swiss delegation headed by Swiss Secretary of State for Migration Mario Gattiker. Urs Von Arb, ambassador and delegate for the Middle East from the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration, also attended the meeting.
"Switzerland has opened the door for resettlement of some 2,000 refugees within two years," Merhebi said.
He also called on the Swiss government to support long-term development projects that benefit Syrian refugees and Lebanese hosting communities, especially in remote areas that lack basic infrastructure and services.
The Lebanese official briefed the Swiss delegation on its efforts exerted and the difficulties encountered in dealing with the refugee crisis, including the registration of Syrian newborns and marriages for those without residency documents in Lebanon.
For his part, Gattiker expressed his heartfelt sympathy for Lebanon.
"The situation in Lebanon cannot be compared with that of Switzerland in terms of the number of refugees and the size of the crisis," he said.
The Swiss official said it is important to make sure the Syrian refugees will obtain identification papers to confirm their legal status, including registration, residence, birth certificates, and marriage documents, citing these documents are essential for their return to their country of origin or to migrate to a third country.
The United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees estimated that Lebanon hosts around 1 million Syrians who fled their war-torn country since the uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011.
