KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Wednesday 16th September 2015, the United Arab Emirates said it has spent about $1.1 billion in aiding Syria handle the refugee crisis and also fight the ISIL terrorist group.
The announcement was in response to the criticism that it is failing to take in Syrian refugees who are fleeing from the war torn country and seeking means to get to Europe.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, trashed those critics citing that the oil rich federations have been on the forefront on the war against ISIL.
Since Syrian conflict began in 2011, UAE humanitarian aid to help the refugee situation has amounted to about $581.5 million and more than $420 million in fighting the terrorism of Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
SUMMARY
Daesh is an Arabic derogatory acronym for ISIL. The militant group controls large swathes of Syria as well as in northern Iraq.
US-led coalition is waging aerial offensives against the Islamist group’s positions in Syria and Iraq. The air campaign has received immense support from UAE which is part of the US-led faction. France has also indicated it will be striking against the identified ISIL targets in the coming weeks. Australia also joined the war against ISIL as well as Turkey.
The oil rich UAE federation has committed huge sums of money in aiding the Syrian refugee crisis. Around $167 million has gone on providing food while $88.1 million has been channeled in providing shelters and other non-food supplies.
UAE has also supported the health services, education, water and sewerage services among others.
Gargash retaliated that UAE is host of more than nine million mostly foreigners. At least 243,324 Syrian residents are currently hosted by UAE including 101,364 who fled the war torn country since the beginning of the conflict in 2011
According to Gargash UAE commitment is beyond reproach. UAE has extended its hospitality by even allowing tens of thousands of Syrians whose residency permits or passports had expired to regularize their status in order to stay.
