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Ammon News - Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed Tuesday "immediate" steps to create the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, urging the UN to step up.

Safadi said during a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, that "the future of Syrian refugees is in their country, not in Jordan," urging efforts to provide the requirements for return and a decent life for refugees in Syria.

He said providing conditions for the return of Syrian refugees is a "major" priority that Jordan would continue to work with all parties to achieve.

Safadi and Grandi discussed the outcomes of the talks that Jordan and UNHCR are conducting with the Syrian government and international community to secure the infrastructure to provide the refugees with services, living and economic needs.

The meeting focused on programmes of the UNHCR and international organisations concerned with refugees and the plans required to create necessary conditions for a voluntary return.

Safadi discussed working with the Syrian government and the international community to provide the requirements for the return of about a thousand Syrian refugees as a model that institutionalises and encourages a comprehensive plan for the voluntary return of refugees.

He noted the "need" to launch an international fund to build an infrastructure for the return of refugees and provide for their needs in Syria.

Safadi and Grandi discussed the repercussions of the decline in international support for refugees and the host countries.

Safadi said, "Jordan has exceeded its capacity to host refugees, and it will not be able to maintain the level of services it provides them if the international community does not fulfil its obligations."

Safadi warned of the consequences of the downsising of UN organisations, including UNHCR and WFP, on the Kingdom's ability to continue caring for refugees.

He said, "The responsibility to meet the needs of refugees is a shared responsibility between the international community and the host countries."

Safadi added that the international funding for the Jordanian response plan to provide for the needs of refugees for 2023 had not exceeded 6.8 per cent.

Jordan hosts about 1,300,000 Syrian brothers, of whom only ten per cent live in refugee camps.
Safadi discussed the "need" for more efforts towards a political solution to the Syrian crisis, addressing all its humanitarian, security and political consequences.

Safadi and Grandi discussed cooperation between Jordan and UNHCR and confirmed the continued strengthening of their partnership.