"Threats from terrorist groups aimed at destabilizing the transitional government in Syria" prompted German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to cancel an unannounced visit to Syria at the last minute, according to Austrian media reports.
The interior ministries in Berlin and Vienna confirmed that security threats had led the two ministers to cancel their visit "only a few hours before," but did not specify the nature of the threats. The Austrian newspaper Krone reported that information received by German and Austrian intelligence services indicated threats from extremist groups also seeking to prevent the Syrian transitional government from being subjected to "Western influence."
The two ministers had planned to travel from Jordan to Syria this morning (Thursday), but decided to cancel the trip at the last minute and reschedule it for an unannounced date. Security concerns prompted both German and Austrian sides to keep the visit, which also included Lebanon and Jordan, under wraps. They were due to meet with officials from the transitional government in Damascus and UN humanitarian organizations operating in Syria to discuss cooperation on the return of Syrians to Austria and Germany.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Damascus last week to officially reopen the German embassy, which had been closed since 2012. However, security concerns have forced the embassy to operate with limited capacity despite its reopening. The German embassy in Beirut continues to handle consular matters.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad late last year, Germany and Austria have suspended processing Syrian asylum applications pending clarification of the security situation. Berlin is hesitant to begin returning the approximately one million Syrian refugees who have arrived since 2012 and says it is taking its time before issuing new directives to the refugee agency to make decisions regarding Syrian asylum seekers.
Of the 975 Syrians who have arrived in Germany over the past 000 years, around 15 are due to leave the country, most of them under temporary deportation bans due to the situation in Syria.
However, Austria, which hosts a much smaller number of Syrians, around 100, has adopted a stricter stance since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. In addition to suspending the processing of Syrian asylum applications, the country has taken steps to revoke asylum from 000 Syrians and recently decided to halt family reunification for Syrian refugees, allowing their families to join them in the country.
The German and Austrian ministers stated that the aim of the visit was to focus specifically on ways to return Syrian refugees who are criminals. A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry indicated that "Germany and Austria are working intensively to return Syrians who have committed crimes or pose a security threat to Syria as quickly as possible." He added that these issues must be discussed with the transitional government, but that the threats that prompted the ministers to cancel their visit "demonstrate that the security situation in Syria remains fragile."
Germany has expressed concern about the violence that erupted in Syrian coastal towns three weeks ago. However, it continues to seek to deport Syrian criminals, insisting that it will not deport Syrians integrated into the German labor market and will only open the door to voluntary forced deportation.
Faeser's inclusion alongside Karner in the planned visit to Syria suggests that Berlin may be moving closer to Austria's position on Syrian refugees, especially with the expected formation of the new German government, which is expected to be led by the Christian Democratic Party. The latter is taking a stricter stance than the current Social Democratic-led government. Faeser's Social Democratic Party will participate in the new government as a junior partner and will have to follow the Christian Conservative Party's policies on refugees.
The conservative party of Friedrich Merz, the expected chancellor, has proposed tough plans regarding refugees, including a complete halt to family reunification and a halt to asylum seekers at the border. The government is expected to form in mid-April after an agreement between the two parties on the plans to be implemented.
