BEIRUT, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Carmella Goudo, regional director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the MENA region, said Wednesday that IOM has secured the relocation of 100,000 Syrian refugees between 2011 and 2019, a statement by the Prime Minister's office reported.
"IOM relocated 100,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon to other countries including Canada, Australia and European countries between 2011 and 2019 which allowed them to start a new life in these countries," Goudo was quoted as saying during her meeting with PM Saad Hariri.
Goudo thanked Hariri for Lebanon's decision in April to become a member of IOM.
Goudo said IOM has also inaugurated a clinic on the Lebanese Syrian borders in the framework of a humanitarian project implemented by IOM in the area.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.
The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy and infrastructure, prompting President Michel Aoun to warn the international community that Lebanon will be sending refugees to European countries if it does not facilitate the return of refugees to Syria. Enditem
