Discussions about the asylum applications of Syrian refugees in our country but also throughout Europe were caused from the first moment by the fall of the Assad regime
Discussions on Syrian asylum applications refugees in our country but also in all of Europe caused from the first moment the fall of the regime Assad. The asylum application process is temporarily “freezing” for thousands of Syrians who are in our country, as the main argument for their asylum applications, persecution by the Assad regime, may be unfounded. The situation in Syria it is still very fluid as the new leadership that has emerged on the one hand calls itself temporary and on the other hand has not shown examples of written governance.
Due to the recent developments that have created uncertainty, the Asylum Service has been making a specific recommendation since last week to the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, who has forwarded this recommendation to senior political leadership and KYSEA. “The proposal of the Asylum Service states that due to the latest developments in Syria and precisely because there is a very intense uncertainty and fluidity regarding the new situation in the country of Syria, we cannot and are not in a position as an agency to proceed with issuing asylum decisions for Syrian nationals. And we cannot do that because you should know that every asylum decision is individualized and based on specific characteristics of the applicant, which are related to his country of origin, that is, what are the conditions in Syria. Well, all of our decisions up until now have had a lot to do with potential persecution faced by Syrians from the Assad regime. This regime no longer exists, so the situation in Syria should be reviewed and reassessed at this time. Our decisions are not based on guesswork, suspicion, or speculation. We need specific reliable sources and reports and I am not referring to journalistic coverage of the event. We refer to material from the UN High Commission, the European Asylum Agency and so on. We do not have such a thing in our hands at this stage, but we also cannot proceed with the issuance of decisions”, explains the Commander of the Hellenic Asylum Service, Marios Kaleas, to APE-MBE.
For this reason, until the situation is clarified and new decisions are made based on reliable sources, the Asylum Service will accept requests from Syrians, as required by the Geneva Convention, but will not issue final decisions. “In other words, any Syrian who comes today to Samos, for example, or to Lesvos at the Orestiada Police Station, should be able to submit the asylum request, to have it recorded, to be recorded, to be able to submit whatever supporting documents they want, to go through the asylum interview, to hear the reasons why he does not wish to return to his country, but as regards the issuance of the decision, which is also the final stage, there should be a suspension until further notice of the process, in order to see how it will be clarified and how the situation will develop”, Mr. Caller.
What will happen with the return of the Syrians to their country?
As far as voluntary returns are concerned, any Syrian in Greece and in any member state can renounce their request or their status and return to their country. It is estimated that after the fall of Assad, once the situation is clarified and conditions create a climate of security, Syrians who are displaced across Europe will want to return to their homeland. But that number is still low just a week after the regime fell. According to sources from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, three Syrian refugees from hosting structures in Greece have already expressed their desire to return to Syria. The first, from the structure of Philippiada, a married father of two, renounced the asylum status he had applied for in the fall of 2024. Despite his initial concern about security in Syria, he declared his determination to return. A similar wish was expressed by a refugee in the Drama structure and by another in the Controlled Structure in Koutsochero.
“Voluntary returns can take place in two ways. Either every Syrian resigns and leaves the country, that is, from Greece, returning via Turkey at his own expense. And the second is through the Voluntary Returns Program, which is implemented by the International Organization for Migration in collaboration with the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum. The problem in this case is that at the moment he is not making voluntary returns to Damascus and Syria, precisely because there is this tense atmosphere and this uncertain climate. As soon as it is restored, this process will also go ahead, that is, voluntary returns through the IOM, who give them 1,000 euros and the plane tickets, is another second alternative”, points out the commander of the Asylum Service.
“But when it comes to forced returns, that’s where the problem is. To make a forced return means that first the asylum request has been rejected which means that a negative asylum decision must have been issued. For a negative asylum decision to be issued, it means that the situation in Syria should be re-evaluated and be such that the Asylum Service, which is the competent agency, considers that the reasons for obtaining asylum do not exist”, explains Mr. Caller.
In Greece, a total of 9,328 asylum applications have been submitted (as of December 10) by Syrian nationals residing in structures of the Structure and Identification Service. Of these, after being processed, 3,091 have been accepted, 1,550 applications are in the registration phase or are being registered, 4,474 are being processed, while 213 applications have been rejected.
Decisions at the European level
Many of the European countries proceeded to freeze the examination of applications or plan to do so. As the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, stated from Brussels, after the meeting of the Council of Internal Affairs of the Ministers of the Interior and Immigration of the member states, it was agreed to begin preparing a plan for the return, voluntary at the beginning, of any Syrian citizens who wish to return to their country .
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) estimates that European countries host over one million Syrian asylum seekers and refugees, with 59% of them in Germany. Sweden, Austria, Greece, the Netherlands and France are also home to significant populations.
Last year, some 38,300 Syrian refugees chose to return, the agency said in an annual review, noting that conditions inside the country were “not yet conducive to facilitating large-scale voluntary returns in safety and dignity.”
Concerns about security, livelihoods, basic services and housing were cited as reasons for the low rate of repatriation. About 90% of people in Syria live in poverty.
Source: Skai
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