Several Western countries have reported that they are suspending all Syrian asylum applications and considering deporting refugees back to Syria. On Wednesday, Evelina Gudzinskaitė, head of the Migration Department, said there is currently no reason to address the issue in Lithuania.
“Unlike most of Europe, where Syrians make up the majority of asylum seekers, Lithuania currently has just one Syrian asylum request. This is really not an issue for us right now,” Gudzinskaitė told LRT RADIO.
“If the number of such applications were to increase, we’d watch the situation in Syria. But for now, as you can see, there’s no need to suspend the processing of the applications,” she added.
Gudzinskaitė noted that most Syrians with residence permits are only registered in Lithuania but actually live elsewhere in Europe.
“Overall, fewer than 300 Syrians in Lithuania hold refugee or subsidiary protection status, and a total of almost 400 Syrians have residence permits. [...] We have information suggesting that many of them actually live elsewhere in Europe and return here only to renew their residence permits,” she said.
According to the Migration Department head, Syrians living in Lithuania could only be deported back to Syria when it is safe for them to return to their country.
“Right now, the situation in Syria is very unstable. We have to see what kind of regime takes hold, whether the new government truly aims for peace, or if there will still be groups facing persecution,” Gudzinskaitė said.
“If peace is established and it’s safe to return, we can then reassess the asylums granted,” she added.
Rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, ending his family’s five-decade rule in Syria.
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