Around 30,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries while significant numbers of Syrians are thought to be displaced inside Syria, a newly appointed regional refugee coordinator of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday.

Panos Moumtzis, previously UNHCR's head of Donor Relations, was appointed as Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syrian refugees Monday to deal with a rising number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries due to significant increase of violence in Syria.

Moumtzis said that to date, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have all maintained a policy of open borders for Syrians fleeing the violence and offered them shelter, assistance and protection together with UNHCR's team and other NGOs.

In Turkey alone, seven camps managed by the Turkish government in Hatay Province currently hold more than 13,000 refugees and the government plans to move the majority to Kilis Province, where a purpose-built container city has been prepared.

UNHCR has established a permanent presence in Hatay and plans to establish an office in Kilis when the camp population moves there to support the government efforts, according to Moumtzis.

UNHCR and Lebanon's High Relief Commission have jointly registered 7,088 Syrians in north Lebanon and registration is to continue in Tripoli where several thousand more are estimated to have taken refuge. UNHCR and local partners also estimate there are some 4,000 persons in the Bekaa valley.

In Jordan, more than 5,000 Syrians have registered with UNHCR since March 2011, with a further 2,000 awaiting registration.

Moumtzis also mentioned that despite the difficult environment, the policy and commitment of Syria to host and support 110,000 refugees registered with UNHCR, the majority from Iraq, remains unchanged.

He said that the Iraqi refugees report a significant increase in the price of basic commodities, due to inflation and the devaluation of the Syrian pound.