German, Austrian interior ministers cancel Damascus trip after warnings

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner on Thursday canceled their trip to Syria, following security warnings from German authorities.

The two ministers headed to Jordan on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and were planning a trip to Damascus to discuss the return of refugees.

However, the top diplomats’ “onward trip to the Syrian capital Damascus was canceled following warnings from German security authorities of a specific threat,” read a statement from Berlin’s interior ministry, adding that “the two interior ministers had planned talks with the Syrian transitional government.”

The cancellation notably comes just a day after Berlin's envoy to Syria on Wednesday expressed deep concern over reports of civilian casualties following a suspected Israeli shelling on Daraa province, southwest of the country.

Syria’s foreign ministry had on Tuesday demanded an international investigation into what it said was an “Israeli shelling” west of Daraa that killed six people.

Germany, a leading power in the European Union, has been a primary destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade.

Faeser’s trip to Syria was notably set to take place months after she had introduced a four-point plan in January, addressing the status of Syrians in Germany.

The plan outlines that Syrians “who are well-integrated into German society, are employed and have learned the German language” should “be able to remain” in the country. It also expands the voluntary return program, offering assistance to “anyone who wants to return to Syria,” including those who wish to “look up relatives and decide whether they can return to a life in safety” in their country.

While voluntary return is encouraged, Faeser emphasized that the visits of Syrian refugees to their country “will be subject to strict requirements,” adding that “we don’t want people commuting back and forth.”

The German interior minister additionally stressed that “criminals and people considered a potential terrorist or extremist threat are to be deported as quickly as possible,” adding that Berlin has “a definite national interest in seeing that these people leave Germany.”

The plan further notes that Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees would also assess “the protection status of Syrian refugees and withdraw it for those who no longer require such protection in Germany because the situation in Syria has stabilized.”

While Berlin seems keen on returning some of the refugees who sought asylum in Germany, its Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned last week that a sudden mass return of the millions who fled from Syria would lead to the country’s collapse. She emphasized that any return should follow a gradual, “step-by-step” process, beginning with refugees in countries neighboring Syria.

Germany also pledged €300 million (around $327 million) in aid to Syria last week, which will be distributed to United Nations agencies and other international organizations providing humanitarian assistance in the country.

Faeser stated on Thursday that the aid comes with “clear expectations,” stressing that "freedom and security must apply to all people in Syria in the future, regardless of gender, faith, or ethnicity."

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