Czech Republic pledges $2 million to support refugees across border

AMMAN — Czech Ambassador to Jordan Petr Hladik said his country will commit around $2 million to support the refugee settlements near the northern border between Jordan and Syria

“Our government pledged to provide $2 million to contribute in helping UNHCR in building infrastructure in the berm and to provide medical care for the Syrian refugees there,” Hladik told The Jordan Times on Monday evening.

The berm refers to an area on the Syrian-Jordan border where tens of thousands of Syrians are encamped. 

He made his remarks on the eve of a terrorist attack on a forward post that killed six troops and injured 14, prompting Jordan to close the area and ask the international community to find alternatives to deliver aid to displaced Syrians across the border.

The ambassador said the Czech Republic seeks to help people on the ground in the berm “because we respect Jordan’s efforts in dealing with the refugees”.

“Once we get the plans from the UNHCR and the process goes through with the Czech government, we will be providing the money in the receiving area where the medical checks are posted,” Hladik explained. 

The ambassador said the aid should be available in a few weeks and “we will be sending our people to supervise the process”.

“We are coordinating this matter with both the Jordanian government and with the security apparatus because we understand the sensitivities for Jordan when it comes to the situation in the berm,” Hladik added. 

The UN-run camp hosts thousands of recent Syrian arrivals, some of whom Jordan considers a potential security risk, officials have said.

The military post at the northern border is a sensitive area and only casualties and people with infirmities are now allowed in through the berm for medical assistance, according to military officials. 

The Associated Press described it as a “camp-within-a-camp”, called “Village 5”. It was set up in late March as part of an arrangement between Jordan and international aid agencies trying to speed up admissions of tens of thousands of refugees stranded in remote desert areas on the Kingdom’s border.

Under the deal, Jordan agreed to let in about 300 Syrians a day, or five times more than before, on condition that newcomers are isolated in Azraq for more security checks. 

Jordan has frequently underlined that strict vetting is crucial to prevent Daesh extremists, who control large areas of Syria, from infiltrating the country, according to the AP.

The AP estimated that 64,000, half of them children, reside in the berm, saying that the number is expected to jump to 100,000 by the end of the year if fighting in Syria continues.

Jordan puts the number at 102,000.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, which has now entered its fifth year, the number of registered refugees in Jordan has reached around 650,000, while the overall number of Syrians in Jordan is put at 1.3 million.