Syrian refugees will not be returned from Belgium until their home country is stable, outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has stated.
Syrians around the world are celebrating the fall of the Assad regime but uncertainty about their future is growing now that multiple European governments have suspended processing asylum applications.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has taken control of Syria and minorities are fearful about how they will be treated under the new order. Belgium's outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) has stated that no Syrians in Belgium will be returned to their country of origin until the situation is clearer.
"We have a responsibility to ensure that people can return safely when the situation stabilises, which aligns with international treaties. However, this is not the case today," he said.
The Prime Minister welcomed the fall of Assad but stressed that Syria remains "very unstable." He emphasised the need for a peaceful transition, a representative government and respect for territorial integrity.
"The bombings must stop as soon as possible," he said, referring to Israeli attacks in Syria. Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has destroyed the stockpiles of strategic weapons that were abandoned by the Syrian army to prevent them from ending up in the hands of terrorist groups in Syria and Lebanon (Hezbollah).
De Croo added that preparations for the potential return of refugees are being coordinated with other European countries.
Belgium pauses asylum applications
Belgium's General Commissariat for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) temporarily halted the processing of Syrian asylum applications on Monday until there is more clarity about what the regime change means. Syrians still have the right to shelter in Belgium.
A wave of other European countries have made the same announcement, with Austria going one step further and halting asylum applications altogether. The country says it is preparing an "expulsion programme" that will affect around 7,300 out of 100,000 Syrians living in Austria.
