In a significant development, Russia has accused unnamed Western countries of pressuring Jordan to prevent the return of a thousand Syrian refugees to their homeland.
The accusation was levied by Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this Thursday.
“Western countries are opposing the pilot project that has recently been adopted concerning the return of the first thousand Syrian refugees to Syria,” Zakharova was quoted as saying by ‘Russia Today’. The return of Syrian refugees, she believes, is crucial to the resolution of the crisis in Syria.
Last May, Jordan hosted a meeting which included foreign ministers from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. An agreement was reached at that meeting to prepare a pilot project for the return of around a thousand Syrian refugees from Jordan.
Zakharova’s comments underscore Russia’s continuing commitment to finding a solution to the Syrian refugee crisis and represent a direct challenge to the Western countries’ handling of the situation.
