Syrian refugees will not be resettled in Jordan — interior minister

AMMAN — Minister of Interior Mazin Farrayeh on Monday said that Jordan has never been and will never be a place for the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Farrayeh's remarks came during a field visit to the Azraq Refugee and Emirati-Jordanian camps, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Underlying Jordan's economic difficulties as a result of hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees and also the "limited international support", the minister vowed continued support to refugees. 

He explained that Jordan received only 30 per cent of international support for its response plan to the Syrian refugee crisis, an issue, he said, that puts more pressure on Jordan's resources and impacts the quality of services available to refugees.

At the Azraq camp, which is home to around 44,000 Syrian refugees, the minister called for increased and sustainable aid to enhance Jordan's humanitarian efforts of supporting Syrian refugees.

Farrayeh also stressed the importance of Syrian refugees maintaining a connection to their homeland Syria. 

Since the start of the Syrian refugee influx in 2011, he said that over 215,000 children have been born in Jordan, "potentially leading to future psychological challenges due to their separation from their origin homeland".

Farrayeh also visited the Emirati-Jordanian camp, which is located in Mrajeeb Al Fhood, where he commended the significant humanitarian role played by the United Arab Emirates in serving Syrian refugees in Jordan.

He said that over 120,000 Syrian refugees have visited Jordan and reunited with their families.