By end of year, number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries might double

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, speaking at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said that the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries could reach 4 million people by the end of this year.

"In addition, there are six million internally displaced persons in Syria and more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian aid necessary to survive," he said.

The High Commissioner noted that 2.5 million people have fled the country. Most of them are now in neighboring Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, which has a negative effect on the economy of these countries.

He appealed to the member countries of the OSCE with a request to provide massive financial support, which is necessary for Syria and the region. "It is required not only to address urgent humanitarian problems, but also long-term structural problems that have created crisis in the countries receiving refugees," the High Commissioner said