By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Several European nations have paused application procedures for Syrian asylum seekers due to the “fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime” despite reported warnings by Assad’s Christian envoy about Islamic threats to Christians there, Worthy News established Monday.
After Germany, Belgium, and Austria, Sweden too decided Monday to postpone all decisions on Syrians. Separately, France and Britain agreed to “temporarily freeze” the Syrian asylum procedures.
The Swedish Migration Service said the situation in Syria remains unclear now that rebels have claimed control of Syria. “Given the situation, it is simply impossible to determine how safe the country is now.”
In the Netherlands, too, there was talk that the ouster of Assad, who fled to Russia on Sunday, could have consequences for the estimated 150,000 Syrian refugees in the country.
Fiercely anti-Islam Dutch politician Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom won last year’s elections, urged Prime Minister Dick Schoof to send the Syrians back. “And also immediately introduce an asylum freeze for Syrians!” he added on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In Hungary, which is currently holding the rotating European Union’s presidency, the government has been reluctant to grant asylum to people from Syria for years.
However, its foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, stressed Monday that “Hungary is committed to the stability of the Middle East and pays special attention to Christian communities in the region, providing them with ongoing humanitarian aid.”
HOSTING ‘ASSAD PATRIARCH’
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II at the Carmelite Monastery of Buda in Budapest, where he has his office.
Assad dispatched him to meet Orbán to relay what he sees “as an existential threat to Syria’s Christian minority if Islamist rebels prevail,” according to people familiar with the plan.
The intention was that Orbán, an ally of Donald J. Trump, “would convey this danger to the incoming U.S. president,” they added.
During their meeting, Orbán said he had “reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to supporting the Syrian Christian community.”
Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II expressed “his gratitude” to Orbán “and the Hungarian people for their ongoing support of Christian communities in need” amid ongoing fighting in Syria and reports that in some areas, Sharia, or Islamic law, has been implemented by rebels.
However, Trump was quick to say on his Truth Social media platform, “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend,” before switching to all uppercase letters for emphasis. “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
While Orbán’s government hosted Assad’s apparent Christian envoy, it denied involvement in helping arrange his escape to Russia. An opposition Hungarian newspaper wrongly suggested that Assad had landed at Budapest Airport, also known by its lengthy name, Budapest Ferenc List International Airport.
(With reporting by the Worthy News Europe Bureau in Budapest.)
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.