‘Al Anbaa’ spoke in an exclusive interview to the presodent of PES Sergi Stanishev about the developments in Lebanon and the middle east.

1. What are your expectations from this conference in Beirut?

This conference is part of a series of activities organised by the Party of European Socialists (PES) to develop a long-term comprehensive strategy to deal with the refugee crisis. If we want to find real long-term solutions and make proposals to find a lasting solution, we need to understand what the situation is like on the ground and talk to people who work with refugees on a daily basis. Our daily reality in Europe is very different to what is happening in Lebanon. One in five of Lebanon’s inhabitants is a refugee. It is important to understand how this affects the regional context. This conference offers European Social Democrats the opportunity to discuss and exchange experiences with both our Arab partners, UN agencies and civil society organisations working on the ground. This is not only a conference – it is a forum for debate, to learn from experts in the Middle East and a moment to listen to refugees in Lebanon and hear from them what issue they face and what we can do to assist.

2. Do you anticipate any close solutions coming up to Syrian crisis?

We all want the war in Syria to end. Every day of conflict is a day too much. We support the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini with her involvements in the UN-led diplomatic actions to bring actors around the table and find a workable solution. We encourage the main parties involved, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the US to define the common space necessary to initiate a political transition and work towards a framework of peace in Syria as well as in Yemen and Iraq and hope it will bear fruit in the coming months.

3. How do you view Lebanon’s capacity to deal with 1.5 million Syrian refugees and how can Europe help?

The fact that about one in five of Lebanon’s residents are now refugees from Syria shows us the incredible extent to which Lebanon has had to deal with the exodus of people from Syria. Lebanon efforts overshadows ours in Europe to an incredible extent. Translate that into a European country and that would mean that would mean 13 million Syria refugees for France, or 16 million in Germany. The impact of this can hardly be underestimated and I commend the government and people of Lebanon for this, as such a rapid change does not happen without impact.

The EU has provided over 500 million euros of aid to Lebanon since the beginning of the Syria refugee crisis, which has gone to improving housing, providing healthcare and assisting the most vulnerable refugees. However there is undoubtedly more that can be done and I will be discussing with our Arab partners in the PSP and the Arab Social Democratic Forum about what form this should take. I can already say that we believe that Europe should be boosting the capacity of local agencies to cope, and most fundamentally, we must continue our work (led by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini) to end the conflict and prevent people from having to leave their homes in the first place.

4. How do you view the tremendous developments unfolding in the middle east and how will they affect the future relations with the EU?

The ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Iraq are very concerning. The EU has made intense efforts to support the establishment of a unity government in Libya, but we can only be cautiously optimistic. The Middle East, which with its young population has a lot of untapped potential, is of crucial importance for the EU. Unfortunately wars, poverty and unemployment are compelling arguments for extremist forces. As social democrats, we believe that the EU should continue to invest and cooperate with the Middle East in order to ensure economic growth and to provide renewed prospects for young people in the region. We will also continue to work together with our Arab partners to advance peaceful and widely supported solutions to the many devastating conflicts.