Refugee return priority for his govt, says Syrian prez

Damascus, July 4 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has stressed that the return of overseas Syrian refugees is a national priority, media reported.

Assad made the remarks on Monday in his meeting with visiting Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to discuss the return of Syrian refugees and bilateral relations.

The Syrian leader highlighted the needs to support the process with early recovery projects that enable the returnees to live a normal life, Xinhua news agency reported.

It is a purely humanitarian and moral issue that should not be politicised in any way, he noted.

For his part, Safadi reviewed the latest efforts exerted by Jordan with respect to the return of Syrian refugees, and the new proposals in this regard in coordination with the Arab League Contact Group and the United Nations.

Safadi stressed Jordan's support for stability in Syria and his country's keenness to work with the Syrian government and enhance cooperation between the two countries to support the return of Syrian refugees.

The top Jordanian diplomat underlined that the most realistic and beneficial option is to gradually address the impacts of the Syrian crisis.