After rebels seized the Syrian capital after 13 years of civil war and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, European countries suspended the processing and submission of Syrian asylum applications on Monday, the 9th of December, until further notice, affecting tens of thousands of applications submitted, which reflects the rapidly changing political situation in Syria as well as the rise of right-wing parties across Europe that want to limit immigration, reports Reuters.
The civil war that began in 2011 killed hundreds of thousands of people, triggered one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times, saw cities bombed to rubble and the Syrian economy devastated by global sanctions.
At the height of the Syrian civil war in 2015, Germany opened its doors wide to asylum seekers and is now home to nearly a million Syrians, the largest community in Europe.
Berlin’s interior ministry said on Monday that it would not process asylum claims until there was more clarity on political developments in Syria.
Syrians have been the biggest asylum seekers in Germany this year, with 72 420 applications submitted by the end of November, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Some 47 270 applications are still pending.
The UK also suspended decisions on asylum applications and the Home Office said it was assessing the situation. Under a UK government scheme, 20 319 Syrian refugees were admitted to the country between March 2014 and February 2021, according to Refugee Council figures.
Other countries, including Norway, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, also announced a suspension of Syrian asylum claims. France said it hoped to announce a similar decision soon.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed the Interior Minister to suspend all current Syrian asylum applications and family reunification and announced that cases of asylum already granted would also be reviewed.
Denmark also suspended the processing of applications and announced that Syrians whose applications had already been rejected and who had been given a deadline to leave would be allowed to stay longer due to the current uncertainty.
Greece suspended the processing of some 9 000 Syrian asylum applications, a senior Greek government source told Reuters. Officials have said the government will meet on Friday to take a final decision on the matter.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council met behind closed doors late on Monday night, with Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, saying everyone was still in shock at how quickly Assad was toppled in 12 days after a 13-year civil war that had stagnated for years. Russia played a major role in supporting the Assad government and helping it fight the rebels.
According to Reuters, Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed Jaliali agreed on Monday to hand over power to a rebel-led Salvation Government and rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani met with Syrian officials to discuss the formation of a transitional government.
Rebel governance plans remain unclear and no model for such a transition has been developed in the fragmented region, raising concerns that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, which brought about major changes in the Middle East, has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by the UN and many countries.
The US is seeking ways to engage with Syrian rebel groups by working with regional partners such as Turkey to launch informal diplomacy, Washington said. Some European countries are also said to be ready to cooperate with the new Syrian government.
One of the many challenges now facing Syria is the Israeli strikes in the south of the country, taking over a buffer zone, which Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemned, saying the move would “destroy Syria’s chances of restoring security”.
But Israel said it was taking “limited and temporary measures” solely to protect its security and, although its air strikes would continue for several days, it told the UN Security Council it would not intervene in the Syrian conflict.