‘World should cover actual costs of refugee crisis’

AMMAN — Interior Minister Ghaleb Zu’bi on Sunday met with UNHCR Chief Commissioner Filippo Grandi and his accompanying delegation with whom he discussed ways to support Jordan to face the burdens of hosting large numbers of refugees, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

Zu'bi expressed appreciation for the UNHCR humanitarian role and its continued support for countries that host refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

"Jordan has always been a safe haven for people seeking security and peace. Jordan opened its doors to a huge influx of refugees despite all the economic, social, and security challenges," Zu'bi stated, stressing the importance of increasing international support to cover the "actual costs" of hosting refugees, especially in light of the challenging economic situation.

"Jordan's role in hosting and providing services to refugees depends on the support it receives to deal with the economic, political and security repercussions ensuing from the crisis," he noted.

For his part, Grandi said that his three-day visit to the Kingdom aims to shed light on Jordan's role in hosting thousands of hundreds of refugees, provide additional support to the Kingdom in order to continue its humanitarian role, and mitigate the pressures on its various sectors.

"The Syrian crisis has been a turning point with regard to large numbers of refugees, which adds more burdens on a country with limited resources like Jordan," he added.