Balkan States Halt Syria Asylum Requests, Turkey Opens Borders for Returnees
Source: Balkan Insight
Some countries around the Balkan region, including Croatia and Greece, have halted further examination of asylum applications for Syrian refugees following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus, while Turkey has opened its borders for refugees to return home.
In a climate of deep uncertainty over what the future holds for Syria, governments in the Balkans and elsewhere are struggling to map a changed landscape and shape a new policy for Syrians seeking asylum.
Many EU countries paused asylum applications from Syrians on Monday, including Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, France, Norway and the Netherlands, as well as the UK. Others are expected to follow.
“In recent days, developments in Syria have followed each other in rapid succession. That is why I have just decided to impose a temporary freeze on asylum applications from people from Syria,” Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Marjolein Faber wrote on X on Monday.
Greece and Croatia, both members of the European Union, have followed the EU line and issued a temporary halt to asylum applications by Syrian refugees. Croatia’s Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, on Monday said Croatia would temporarily suspend asylum applications from Syrians “until a [final] decision is made at the European Union level”.
“When we talk specifically about Syrians, they fled an oppressive regime, a regime that killed its own citizens, a regime that also used chemical weapons against its own citizens. That regime no longer exists after more than half a century of rule by the al-Assad dynasty, and we all hope that the situation in Syria will allow Syrians to return to their country, which is in the interest … of everyone,” Bozinovic added.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the fall of Assad, stressing that peace and a transition to a democratic government must be ensured. It also mentioned the return of refugees, saying: “The return to democratic normality should mark the end of refugee flows from the long-suffering country and pave the way for the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homes.”
The government’s Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence will meet on Friday to decide what will happen with the examination of asylum applications from Syrians. Media reported that no final decision will be issued until the Council’s ruling. An official from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum confirmed the media reports to BIRN.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR in Greece told BIRN that “a temporary freeze on the examination of asylum applications may be acceptable [to the UN agency] on condition that people will [still] have access to asylum procedures and access to territory”.
According to the 2021 census, 10,785 Syrians live in Greece. From January 1 until October 31 this year, the country recorded a total of 58,505 asylum requests, 30.6 per cent of which came from Syrians.
Other Balkan countries, such as North Macedonia, have yet to state whether they will change they way they deal with Syrian asylum-seekers after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus.
In Bulgaria, the State Agency for Refugees told media on Tuesday that it is continuing to check applications from Syrian citizens and the current situation has not yet affected the process.
Currently, 4,535 applications from Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Bulgaria are being processed in the country. However, since the start of the civil war in Syria, people fleeing the Middle East have faced poor conditions and treatment in Bulgaria.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry did not answer BIRN’s questions about putting asylum applications on hold by time of publication.
Syrians, Afghans and Turks continued to make the most applications for international protection in Europe in 2023, accounting for over a third of all applications lodged in the EU+ countries (EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), according to the European Union Agency for Asylum.
Syrian nationals accounted for around a sixth of all applicants and made 181,000 applications in 2023 – a 38-per-cent increase compared to 2022 and the highest level since 2016.
Turkey to aid refugees’ return
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile announced on Monday that Turkey was opening the border for the safe returns of refugees. “We are opening the Yayladagi border gate to crossings to prevent any congestion and to ease traffic,” Erdogan said.
“We will also manage the processing of migrants’ voluntary return,” he added.
Turkey hosts some three million registered Syrian refugees, making it the largest host of Syrians who have fled the civil war. Many experts think the real number of Syrians in the country is even higher.
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has been widely described as a triumph for President Erdogan, who has backed Syrian opposition forces since the conflict broke out over a decade ago.
However, experts say the regime change in Syria offers both opportunities and challenges for Turkey – and that the return of Syrian refugees may not be swift, despite high hopes.
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
