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URUGUAY will continue welcoming Syrian refugees fleeing the ongoing war in their homeland, Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said on Monday.
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, more than four million people have sought refuge abroad, the largest number from any crisis in almost 25 years, the United Nations has said.
Uruguay welcomed 42 Syrian refugees last year. Under ex-president Jose Mujica, Uruguay initially agreed to take a total of 120 Syrian refugees.
Six former Guantanamo Bay detainees also were resettled in Uruguay as a humanitarian gesture last December.
“The national government is going to honour its commitment and will not enter a humanitarian default,” Mr Nin said.
“We know it obviously costs money. But I appeal to the sensibility and solidarity of Uruguayans to understand the drama being lived by these families — a true hell on earth.”
The head of Uruguay’s Human Rights Secretariat, Javier Miranda, said last week the country could not afford to welcome more refugees.
