SINGAPORE. Oct 22 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian mine clearance experts cleared 6,500 hectares of the Syrian territory during the operation in the country, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"[They] did a great deal of work to dispose explosive ordnances. Russian mine clearance experts cleared around 6,500 hectares of the Syrian territory, 1,500 kilometers of roads, over 19,000 buildings and structures," Shoigu said at the fifth ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting with Dialogue Partners (ADMM Plus) on Saturday.
All conditions to rebuild Syria as a unified state have been created today, he said.
"But the efforts of not Russia alone, but also of other members of the international community, are need to achieve this goal," the minister said.
According to UN estimates, nearly 7 million people left Syria because of the war, Shoigu said. "The situation in the country now allows them to return to their homes. Russia is making a significant contribution to this process," the minister said.
In particular, the Interagency Coordination Headquarters for the Return of Refugees is operating in Moscow, while the Center for the Reception, Allocation, and Accommodation of Refugees is in Damascus, Shoigu said.
He also informed his colleagues that checkpoints for refugees returning from Lebanon and Jordan have been created in Syria.
"About 17,000 people have already crossed them since July 18, 2018. Over 245,000 forcibly displaced persons returned from abroad to the Syrian Arab Republic since the beginning of the operation. Another estimated 2 million Syrians expressed a wish to return home from places of their temporary stay abroad," Shoigu said.