DAMASCUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2020) The countries planning to attend the upcoming Damascus-hosted International Conference on Refugees Return are being pressured to be kept away from participating, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Susan said on Monday.
"Some countries came under pressure to prevent their participation in the conference," Susan was quoted as saying by Syrian state television.
The politician said that Syria was doing everything it could to facilitate the return if its refugees and opined that the removal of international sanctions would give this a further boost.
The two-day conference is scheduled to be hosted by Damascus from November 11-12, with Russia as its co-chair.
More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, when the war began, and more than 6.6 million were displaced internally due to the fighting and terrorism, according to the UN Refugee Agency. The agency, which itself is a strong advocate of the restoration of peaceful life and return of Syrian refugees, has received an invitation to attend the Damascus conference.
