BEIRUT, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Economy Minister Mansour Bteish said on Saturday that the flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon led 200,000 Lebanese people to live under the poverty line, the National News Agency reported.

"We have 200,000 Lebanese citizens living under the poverty line in addition to 1 million more who were initially suffering from poverty," Bteish said in Bekaa.

Bteish added that a big number of Lebanese youths immigrated to work outside Lebanon after the eruption of the Syrian crisis and the flow of refugees to Lebanon.

"Bekaa hosts around 36 percent of these refugees and it is among the areas that suffer the most from different challenges," Bteish said.

The minister emphasized the need for cooperation between all sectors and parties to overcome the economic challenges facing Lebanon.