German president praises Lebanon for hosting Syrian refugees

BEIRUT, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday praised Lebanon for hosting many Syrian refugees.

Steinmeier made the remarks when delivering a speech at the Lebanese University, MTV reported.

"Lebanon has a lot to teach the world. How many times have the Lebanese been forced to be involved in violent conflicts that did not concern them?" he said, praising the country for receiving a massive number of Syrian refugees.

"I believe that Beirut is the place where dialogue can succeed. It is the intersection of many conflicting interests and can be a place of hope and inspiration," Steinmeier said.

As of October 2016, Lebanon hosted 1.5 million Syrian refugees, including 1 million registered with the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), half of them children below 18 years old, along with 31,502 Palestine Refugees from Syria, according to estimates from the Lebanese government. Enditem