BEIRUT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin said Saturday that the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland should not be related to a political situation in the country, local media reported.
"The return of Syrian refugees to secure areas in Syria is better than the quality of their life in Lebanon, which has become very difficult," Zasypkin was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
The political solution may require a long time and the humanitarian situation of Syrians in Lebanon is very bad, Zasypkin said.
"We call upon everybody to take into account the humanitarian aspect of this problem," he said.
The ambassador added that the United States, Europe and some Arab countries do not wish for an imminent return of refugees.
"But I can say that there are a lot of secure areas in Syria and we are doing our best to secure hospitals, housing and schools for returning refugees," he said.