By Stephanie Radi
BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the European Union on Monday to assist Lebanon in returning displaced Syrians to their country.
Mikati made the request during a meeting in Beirut with the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, Lebanon’s official news agency NNA reported, citing a statement by Mikati's office.
The Lebanese premier told a high-level delegation from the European Union that the bloc "must change its policy with regard to assisting the displaced Syrians in Lebanon."
He added that the European "assistance should be directed towards achieving their return to their country."
Mikati also highlighted the urgent need "to support the Lebanese army and Lebanese security institutions and to support development and investment projects in Lebanon in the fields of renewable energy, water and sustainable development" amid Lebanon's severe economic crisis.
Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis since 2019 which according to the World Bank is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.
Lebanon hosts 1.8 million Syrian refugees, about 900,000 of whom are registered with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar