Austria wants to continue its support of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and other countries in the region, Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said, according to a press release from her ministry on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
Speaking during a visit to Lebanon where she met with senior leaders, Kneissl said Austria wishes to provide "consistent" support not just financially, but also in terms of backing political solutions and supporting Syrian refugees who voluntarily wish to return home.
She said certain conditions must be met before much of this can be achieved, such as political reforms, demining, and ensuring an availability of clean drinking water.
The minister said Austria supports Syrian refugees and Lebanon's status as a host country for them in particular through the EU Madad trust fund. Here it is the third-highest financial contributor amongst EU member states, having so far provided 11.5 million euros (13.3 million U.S. dollars).
She said through providing this "help on the ground," both Austria and the EU are helping with humanitarian needs of the refugees, and are bringing about the necessary conditions to stem their migration toward Europe.