Travel to Syria canceled: Karner holds back terror warning!

Travel to Syria canceled: Karner holds back terror warning!

The Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) has canceled his planned trip to Syria. The reason for this is concrete warnings on a terrorist threat that was discussed together with the German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). Both are currently in Amman, Jordan, where they wanted to discuss important security issues and the return of Syrian refugees. Planned discussions included officials from organizations such as the UN, UNHCR, UNICEF and the world nutrition program as well as contacts with the Syrian transitional government.

Originally, the trip to Damascus was not announced in advance and should take place under high security precautions. The decision of Karner and Faeser reflects the concern about the security Situation in Syria, where since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 through a rebel alliance, the so-called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), many escape movements took place.

security situation in Syria and refugee return

Since this change of government, an estimated 280,000 Syrians have returned to their homeland, whereby almost 30% of the Syrian refugees in the Middle East are planning to return within the next year. According to Statistics Austria, 104,699 Syrians now live in Austria, while around 975,000 Syrian nationals are registered in Germany at the beginning of the year. However, the asylum decisions for Syrians have been quiet since the Fall of the Assad regime; Over 2,400 disclosure procedures were initiated and in 2023 only 39 Syrians received an asylum status in Austria.

The German federal government is considering allowing Syrian refugees a unique trip to their homeland without losing their protection status. This project is supported by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in order to enable the people concerned to review the situation on site, for example with regard to the condition of their houses or the security situation.

political and humanitarian challenges

The return of refugees to Syria is difficult by the tense security situation and the persistent humanitarian crisis. According to UNHCR, around 16.7 million people - around 90% of the Syrian population - currently need humanitarian aid. The political future of Syria remains uncertain, especially among the new transitional government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The civil war in Syria, which started in 2011, led to the flight of millions of people. Many found refuge in neighboring countries such as Turkey with almost 2.9 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon and Jordan. The debate about dealing with these refugees, especially in countries such as Germany that have become the main clipping countries, remains up to date and complex. Unicef reports that the loss of protection status usually threatens when refugees travel to their country of origin, except for "morally imperative" reasons such as serious illnesses or deaths.

The political discussion about return options is strongly pursued by the Syrians living in Germany. These also face challenges in integration, although many of them work in the labor market, but often in less secure positions.