Member of Parliament Faisal Karami meets with Russia's ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, at al-Madina University in Tripoli to address the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, on May 14, 2024. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — Member of Parliament Faisal Karami, received Russia's ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, on Tuesday at al-Madina University in Tripoli, with the agenda of addressing the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
During a press conference following the visit, Karami said "the visit is an opportunity to exchange views on the issue of the Syrian displacement in Lebanon,” adding, “We raised this issue more than 11 years ago, after which we were subjected to major campaigns of treason ... we can now say that we have reached a common conviction among all Lebanese parties."
Parliament is scheduled to convene tomorrow to discuss the EU financial deal of €1 billion, designed to strengthen basic services such as education and health. Explicit in the deal was the understanding that Lebanon would, in turn, tackle illegal migration from Lebanese shores into Europe. Karami said that he will be presenting his own ideas regarding Syrian refugees in Lebanon during tomorrow's session.
Politicians of all stripes regularly call for the repatriation and deportation of Syrians, of which there are an estimated 1.5 million who fled to Lebanon as refugees from the war in Syria, which continues to ravage parts of the country more than a decade later. Lebanese authorities claim that security conditions allow for such a return, while the United Nations and other rights groups warn that this is not the case.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak