Croatia suspends Syrian asylum applications pending EU decision

Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Božinović has said that a decision was made to temporarily suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrian citizens until a unified decision is made at the EU level. 

“The Interior Ministry has instructed its relevant services to temporarily halt asylum requests from Syrian citizens until a decision is reached at the EU level. We all hope that the situation in Syria will allow Syrians to return to their country, which serves the interests of everyone,” Božinović said, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Earlier, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Cyprus also announced the suspension of asylum applications from Syrians.

The UK government has made such a decision. 

The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) has stated that it is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and has not ruled out halting decisions on asylum requests from Syrian nationals. 

Germany has suspended processing asylum claims from Syrian refugees following the ousting of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that all ongoing asylum processes for Syrian citizens will be suspended. Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration has also announced the suspension of asylum procedures and decisions regarding Syrian applicants until the situation in Syria is thoroughly assessed. 

The Swedish Migration Agency is also planning to halt the processing of asylum requests from Syrian refugees. The Netherlands has similarly suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syrian refugees due to the recent developments in Syria.

By Naila Huseynova