BEIRUT, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland from Lebanon in the past 24 hours, local media reported Thursday.
"There are 102 children and 61 women in the refugees who returned to Syria through Qusayr border," Elnashra, an independent online newspaper, quoted a statement released by the refugee center affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.
To facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia presented a proposal to the Lebanese authorities, which aimed at securing the return of 890,000 refugees to Syria.
Meanwhile, Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim announced Thursday after meeting with Lebanese caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil that Syrians who do not owe any dues to their host country can go to the Syrian borders.
"After discussing the Russian strategy during our meeting, we believe that it is positive and aims at removing all obstacles that Syrians face in their return to their country," Karim said.
"Syrian nationals who have spent over four years abroad can pay a certain amount of money to get exemption from compulsory military service," he noted.
Karim said that Syria needs its people especially now that industrial zones and factories have reopened and are in need of a large workforce.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated that the true number of Syrians in the country stands at 1.5 million.
