BEIRUT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon said on Friday it welcomes a joint statement issued by Saudi Arabia and Syria earlier this week to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said in a statement that the country is ready to cooperate to end the suffering of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Wednesday, becoming the first Syrian top diplomat to visit Saudi Arabia since the kingdom cut off diplomatic ties with Syria in 2012.
During Mekdad's visit, Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a joint statement, in which the two sides agreed to resume consular services and flights, and vowed to work together to ensure a safe and dignified return of the displaced Syrians to their homeland.
Lebanon supports and encourages all Arab endeavors to reach an Arab solution to the Syrian crisis within the framework of reaching a political solution that preserves the unity, sovereignty, and stability of Syria, according to the statement issued by Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants.
According to statistics released by Lebanese government, around 2 million Syrian refugees are living in Lebanon, a country with a population of more than 5.5 million. The UN Refugee Agency reported that Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world.
The displacement of Syrians has cost Lebanon more than 40 billion U.S. dollars since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said in January. ■
