UAE home to 242,000 Syrians

File photo of Syrian refugee children playing in a park sponsored by the UAE in Jordan.
(Agencies)

"The UAE has made it one of its foreign policy priorities to address this issue in a sustainable and humane fashion together with its regional and international partners," a statement by the UAE government said.

The UAE on Wednesday defended its response to the Syrian refugee crisis in the face of criticism that the country and other Gulf states should be doing more to address the issue.

In a statement provided to the Associated Press, the UAE government said it has provided residency permits to more than 100,000 Syrians who have entered the country since 2011, and that more than 242,000 Syrian nationals currently live in the country.

"The UAE has made it one of its foreign policy priorities to address this issue in a sustainable and humane fashion together with its regional and international partners," the statement said.

In addition to the visa extensions, the UAE said it has provided more than $530 million in humanitarian aid and development assistance since 2012 in response to the Syrian crisis.

Part of that aid goes to fund the smallest of three refugee camps in Jordan, which is sheltering more than half a million Syrian refugees. The UAE-funded camp, known as Marajeeb Al Fhood, houses more than 4,000 refugees. - AP