Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg wants to clear the way for deportations to Syria and Afghanistan with seven EU countries. There is “not necessarily a risk to life and limb”, Schallenberg said.
Schallenberg is currently recovering from pneumonia in hospital, but he was still willing to provide some answers on the subject of deportations from his hospital bed.
As the ‘Krone’ initiative ‘The Voice of Austria’ shows, the desire for deportations when those seeking protection do not follow our rules and values runs through all levels of society.
Schallenberg does not want to hide anything, even though there are now ways to solve the migration problem in the EU. “The migration pressure on Europe and Austria will not decrease. This is evident from a look at the problem areas around Europe,” says Schallenberg.
“No credible asylum system”
An important pillar of the asylum system is deportations. “Without the repatriation of those who do not have the right to stay, there can be no credible asylum system,” Schallenberg emphasizes.
The embassy in Iraq increased deportations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is therefore negotiating with a number of countries on agreements to enable return. In 2023 alone, six new agreements were added, for example with Morocco or Iraq.
An important step in promoting deportations was the opening of the embassy in Baghdad in the autumn of 2023. Since then, the Austrian embassy in Baghdad has ensured a positive balance: the readmission rate has increased by more than 50 percent in the same period last year. This is a success that was only possible thanks to the operational contacts that our embassy established on the ground.
“We have to change that”
The deportation of Syrians and Afghans used to be taboo. Now they are only deported to third countries. “We have to change that,” Schallenberg demands. Together with seven other EU countries, Schallenberg has been pushing within the EU to finally deport people to Syria.
“Large parts of the country are free of fighting and there is not necessarily any danger to life and limb. The same is true for Afghanistan. The good news: European courts are seeing it that way for the first time.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
