UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih visited Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus to hold talks on the perspectives of returning Syrian war refugees. The meeting focused in particular on questions relating to people returning to the Middle Eastern country voluntarily after almost 14 years of civil war.
According to a statement issued by the Syrian presidency, the meeting was intended to discover "ways to strengthen cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees."
The statement further highlighted that "supporting efforts related to the voluntary and safe return of refugees, as well as livelihood and early recovery projects" was a main focus of the discussions.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was reportedly also in attendance at the meeting.
Salih meanwhile commented that the outlook of the meeting was to work towards creating a "peaceful and inclusive Syria [which] is the foundation for lasting recovery."
UNHCR meanwhile stresses the need for empowering safe and sustainable conditions for the return of Syrians, and is actively in support of increasing the numbers of Syrians returning home.
Read AlsoGermany and Austria: A combination of initiatives to encourage return to Syria
A country in transition after war
After the fall of Syria's longterm ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Sharaa took over power as interim leader with the aim of transitioning the war-torn country towards democracy.
A month later, Sharaa announced that he expected most Syrians who had fled the country during the civil war, which had started in 2011 to return.
Later he clarified that he expected around 15 million Syrians to come back eventually, suggesting that many would return within two years of the war ending.
Read AlsoGermany moves to return more Syrians, but Damascus says the country is not yet ready
However, the destruction of infrastructure across the country has possibly slowed the number of returnees. Many international leaders and bodies have commented that Syria will not be ready to reintegrate so many people for quite some time.
Since December 2024, over 3.5 million Syrians — including 1.6 million refugees from abroad and nearly two million internally displaced people — have returned to their respective areas of origin.
Read AlsoSyria: Millions return to poor infrastructure
Call for international assistance
The country also continues to grapple not only with damaged infrastructure but also significant humanitarian needs as well as widespread internal displacement.
According to UN refugee chief Salih, the talks also focused on those reconstruction needs Syria faces within this context.
He urged the international community to assist Syria in its ongoing efforts to rebuild the nation, and called for continued assistance, investment and solidarity.
"Syrians are determined to rebuild," he said.
Read Also'My heart is still in Aleppo, my life bound to Germany'