site.btaPM Borissov: "Scale of Syrian Refugee Crisis Calls for Integrated Response"

PM Borissov: "Scale of Syrian Refugee Crisis Calls for Integrated Response"

London, February 4 (BTA) - "Bulgaria is strongly interested in the earliest possible settlement of the conflict in Syria and a stabilization of the situation," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said here on Thursday, addressing an international conference entitled "Supporting Syria and the Region", the Government Information Service reported.

Borissov is paying a two-day visit to the UK for the conference. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov and Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva.

The meeting is organized by the UK, Germany, Kuwait, Norway and the UN in an effort to raise additional resources for continued and broader humanitarian aid and support for the region's development.

"Our immediate contribution with regard to the Syrian crisis will reach 400,000 euro for 2016, which is just part of the overall support provided by Bulgaria both domestically to refugees in our territory and through various EU instruments," the Prime Minister said. He pointed out that the Bulgarian Government had decided to grant 250,000 euro, including 100,000 euro through the World Food Programme for food supplies to refugees and 50,000 euro through UNICEF to give children outside Syria a fair access to education. "This year our country will contribute 100,000 euro to the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, and financial resources to other facilities and programmes assisting refugees and internally displaced persons in Syria," Borissov also said.

He expressed Bulgaria's solidarity with the countries that have taken the brunt of providing shelter, food and medical care to the rapidly growing refugee communities but noted that the scale of the crisis calls for an integrated response. In his words, maintaining sustainable economic and social systems in the countries neighbouring on Syria and providing refugees and their families with access to education, work and decent living conditions will improve the chances of keeping them near their home country and their return to Syria once the political situation there has changed.

"The grave socio-economic and political consequences of the crisis in Syria and around it give us a reason to reconsider the way we assist countries in the region. Humanitarian aid remains important, but the long-term needs of refugees and internally displaced persons should be met by providing adequate economic opportunities, employment and a fair access of Syrian children to quality education. In this context, Bulgaria is ready to participate in new initiatives for support to the countries in the regions, with a view to providing means of livelihood and improving the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan," the head of government pointed out.

Talks with Cameron, Davutoglu, Kerry, Ban

Borissov writes in a Facebook post that during the conference he and his counterparts David Cameron of Britain and Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey considered the need to raise financial resources for coping with the dramatic humanitarian situation in Syria and for stabilizing the neighbouring countries.

"The European countries spend an enormous amount of money, but we return the refugees free of charge to the settlements which they have fled for various reasons. The fairest treatment of those people would be to close the borders and limit entry to the official checkpoints. What we talked about months ago is already a common policy: setting up a refugee support fund with contributions from the developed countries, so that those people would stay in the regions near Syria itself," Borissov commented. In his words, Bulgaria empathizes and is glad to see that the world is already of a single mind about the way in which refugees should be helped.

"I found similar understanding from US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who have visited Bulgaria, are familiar with the country and the political situation, and we have the US and UN support for what we are doing to protect the EU border," the PM writes.

He conferred with Kerry at a reception for the heads of delegations, hosted by UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening and in the presence of the Prince of Wales. The two reaffirmed the commitments assumed during Kerry's latest visit to Bulgaria a year ago, including measures in support of Bulgaria's energy independence, strengthening the investment climate and the ongoing reforms in the judicial system, Borissov writes in his Facebook profile.

Kerry reiterated his support and said that Bulgaria is a reliable and predictable partner. Then Ban joined the conversation, and he and the US Secretary of State shared their positive impressions of the way Bulgaria behaves at this intricate moment for Europe.

"I briefed them on the efforts that our country is making to protect the EU external border. British Prime Minister David Cameron related his first-hand impressions from his visit to Bulgaria and the protection of the border with Turkey," Borissov writes.