Development Minister Gerd Müller (pictured above, left) announced plans on Friday for the German government to set up its first aid projects for Syrian refugees in both Turkey and Lebanon.

Speaking following a meeting with the governor of Turkey's Kilis province, which borders on Syria, Müller said that his ministry would build numerous community centers in towns which have taken in particularly high numbers of refugees fleeing Syria's four-year-old conflict. Among other things, the aim of the community centers is to help reduce tensions between the refugees and local populations.

Müller also said that in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), his ministry would invest 1.4 million euros ($1.51 million) in the renovation or expansion of a number of schools for refugee children.

Also planned are projects to improve water delivery infrastructure in both countries, as well as improvements designed to support local agriculture.

Müller wrapped up his three-day visit to Lebanon and Turkey by visiting the Oncupinar refugee camp, which currently houses 13,000 refugees from the Syrian war.

Struggling to cope

The two Syrian neighbors have borne the brunt of the refugee problem sparked by the conflict, which began as a peaceful pro-democracy uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in early 2011.

According to the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR), there are now more than 1.7 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey and 1.1 million in Lebanon.

pfd/sb (dpa, KNA, unhcr.org)