A Russian military official calls for the dismantling of refugee camps in Syria

ARK News… The commander of the National Defense Administration Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Mikhail Mizintsev, called for the dismantling of refugee camps in Syria, claiming that armed groups are using them as a source to recruit new fighters, in the context of Russian pressure to enable the return of the displaced to the Assad-controlled areas.

In a speech he delivered at the opening of the international conference on the return of refugees in Damascus, he said: “It is imperative ... to ensure the dismantling of all IDP camps, which represent a source of human resources for illegal armed formations, and to return their people to the areas they chose to live in, and to help them adapt to normal living conditions. "

Mizintsev, who heads the Russian-Syrian Governmental Coordination Center for the Return of Refugees in Syria, called for the importance of strict adherence to the provisions of international law and ensuring that "the illegally occupied lands are returned under the control of the legitimate Syrian government as soon as possible," according to him.

About 33 human rights organizations and non-governmental Syrian civil society organizations, in a joint statement, called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and United Nations agencies, especially the High Commissioner for Refugees, to work to reduce any pressures exerted by the concerned countries, especially Russia and the Syrian government, for the return of refugees.

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