Gulf states follow clear policy on Syrian refugees — Straw
OFFICIAL CALLS FOR ROAD MAP FOR HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
The Gulf Cooperation Countries [GCC] follow a clear policy based on providing humanitarian and political support for Syrian refugees that have been forced to flee their country as a result of conflict, said a government official during a security conference held yesterday.
The GCC countries and their role towards Syrian refugees has come under the spotlight over the last few months, with several European countries feeling the strain of hundreds of thousands of migrants pouring in.
Speaking at the Security in the Arabian Gulf conference organised by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research Centre, Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for International Development, said the UAE is strongly committed to supporting Syrian refugees.
“In the UAE we do not have people under refugee statuses, however we have welcomed more than 100,000 Syrians ever since the war broke out, accepting Syrians who have relatives here, and we have granted thousands of resident and work visa permits in that time,” he said.
“Finding a political solution is the long term vision (of the UAE), but there also has to be a clear road map for humanitarian and development assistance,” he added. Al Shamsi remarked that such efforts would require international cooperation by all nations, warning that a failure to do so would lead to negative consequences.
Jack Straw, former UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, praised the GCC countries for having a unified strategy in stark comparison to the European Union [EU].
“There is a coherent GCC strategy to handle the extraordinary number of migrants coming out of Syria. People may agree or disagree with the strategy but it is one nonetheless, and this plan says that Gulf States will financially support refugees in the close neighbourhood of Syria,” he said.
Straw went on to say that he personally supports the positions taken by the GCC.