Requiring visas for Syrians wishing to enter Lebanon is meant to differentiate a refugee from a visitor, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said in remarks published Sunday.
“To implement the new security strategy, [we] must organize the entry of Syrians and their exits,” Derbas told Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, stressing that the policy is the only way that Lebanon could differentiate refugees from other guests.
However, Derbas said that the new measures do not mean the borders have been closed, and will not result in the deportation of Syrian refugees.
The minister’s comments come after Lebanon last week unprecedentedly approved new entry restrictions for Syrian nationals, who will require a visa to enter the country starting Jan. 5.
General Security said in a statement last week that Syrians could apply for six types of entry visas, including tourist, business, student, transit, short stay and medical.
The Syrian government’s response to the new measures was positive, but the country’s envoy stressed on the need for “cooperation between the two governments” for implementing them.
Derbas said the Lebanese government was ready to cooperate with Damascus for the sake of allowing the return of displaced Syrians to safe areas, saying the lack of cooperation came from the Syrian side.
Lebanon, which hosts over 1.2 million Syrian refugees, started tightening control on the entry of Syrian refugees last year by limiting access to extreme humanitarian and medical cases.
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