DUBAI, September 18 (Sputnik) – Western countries’ criticism of the Gulf states in respect to their response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the flow of refugees is due to the West’s fear of the next wave of migrants, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Anwar Gargash stated Friday.
According to the UAE authorities, the country has provided residence permits to more than 100,000 Syrians who have entered the country since the crisis in Syria escalated in 2011, adding that more than 242,000 Syrian nationals currently live in the country.
The UAE has so far spent over $1 billion in supporting the Syrian people, the country’s authorities said in a statement on Thursday.
"I am surprised by some of the Western criticism of the Gulf states considering the humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis. Without doubt it is connected to remorse and to the fear of the future wave of refugees," Gargash wrote on his Twitter page.
