Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday during a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the return of refugees who left the country due to the conflict in his country is a "priority" in the next stage, two days before a conference hosted by Damascus with the support of Moscow to discuss the issue of their return.

In the call transmitted by the Syrian presidential account on Facebook, Assad addressed Putin, saying that the refugee issue is "the number one priority during the next stage, especially after a large part of the territories have been liberated and the battlefield has receded despite the continuation of terrorism."

Damascus, with Russian support, is organizing, Wednesday and Thursday, a conference on the return of refugees to their country, in which it is not yet clear who will participate. However, neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about a million and a half million refugees according to official estimates, will send the caretaker Minister of Social Affairs, Ramzi Musharrafi, as a representative.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Omran Reda, will attend the conference as an "observer."

Assad considered that the "biggest obstacle" to the return of refugees "in addition to the persistence of terrorism in some areas to which they are supposed to return (...) is the siege on Syria," referring to the sanctions imposed by Western countries on his country, led by the United States.

He commented on Russian efforts in terms of "the possibility of easing, lifting or removing this blockade," explaining that the return of refugees "needs to secure the basic needs necessary for their livelihood, such as water, electricity, schools ... in addition to the issue of moving the economy."

Since its outbreak in March 2011, the Syrian conflict has caused the displacement of more than half of the population inside and outside the country, among them more than 5.5 million refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who have mainly fled to neighboring countries.

Russia, the most prominent ally of Damascus, has been seeking for years to obtain the support of the international community in order to launch the reconstruction phase and the return of refugees, while the donors are linking any aid to reach a political settlement to the conflict.

Human rights organizations warn, in turn, that the cessation of battles in several areas in Syria does not mean that they are now ready for the return of refugees in light of their lack of infrastructure and services and the fear of human rights violations.

Since the start of the conflict in the world in 2011, Syria has been witnessing its worst economic and living crises, which are accompanied by a record collapse in the value of the Syrian Pound and the erosion of the purchasing power of Syrians, most of whom live below the poverty line.

Government forces regained more than 70 percent of the country from opposition fighting factions and militant organizations.