BEIRUT, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon Leni Stenseth said on Thursday that Norway will offer 40 million U.S. dollars annually to support Lebanon in hosting Syrian refugees, a local media outlet reported.
"Lebanon ranks fifth on the list of countries supported by Norway and Lebanon receives twice the money offered to other countries hosting Syrian refugees," Stenseth was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
Norway helps Lebanon to ease the big burden caused by the presence of a big number of Syrian refugees in the country, she added.
The Norwegian ambassador noted that her country is working to find a political solution in Syria to secure the return of refugees to their homeland.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.
The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy and infrastructure, prompting Lebanese officials to call for international support in guaranteeing the return of Syrian refugees.
