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Saudi Arabia shelters 500,000 Syrian refugees since 2011

Xinhua, September 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Saudi Arabia has sheltered 500,000 Syrian refugees and 1.5 million residents since Syria collapsed into civil war in 2011, Al Hayat newspaper reported on Thursday.

Saudi has made efforts to ensure refugees a decent living and allowed Syrian residents to bring their parents and family members to Riyadh, a Saudi government official said.

All of the refugees are provided with valid resident permits to get the rights for education, labor and health services, the official said, adding that more than 100,000 Syrians are receiving free education in the oil-rich state and treated equally with local students.

Saudi Arabia's announcement came as the migrants crisis in Europe deepens, and the world urges the Gulf states to do more to deal with the increasing number of Syrian refugees who are fleeing their home country.

Over four million refugees have fled Syria since the war started in 2011, according to the latest data from the UN refugee agency. Endit