News from Berlin - Minister of State Maria Böhmer has met with the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, to talk about the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. The meeting at the Federal Foreign Office, which took place on April 11th, was held to help Lebanon stabilize the Syrian refugee crisis with assistance from Germany. With over a million registered refugees, Lebanon has more refugees per inhabitant than any other country in the world.

As one of the main international donors, Germany has assisted Lebanon with its refugee crisis by providing more than 100 million euros since 2012. This assistance helps not only with current humanitarian needs but also to help Lebanese communities that have taken in refugees and whose resources have been overused, mainly water supply and healthcare. Growing religious and political polarization in the region has become a major problem of the Syrian crisis. Minister Böhmer stressed that this poses a significant threat to Syria’s neighbors, particularly Lebanon, who also has tensions between religious and ethnic groups. The talks highlighted the need for tolerance and understanding to secure peace, stability and success for the entire region.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global