ZURICH: The Swiss government said it was suspending asylum procedures for Syrians until it can better assess the situation in the Middle Eastern country following the capture of Damascus by rebels and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s flight to Russia.

The state secretariat for migration said on Monday evening it was currently unable to conduct a thorough check on whether grounds for asylum exist for Syrians or whether carrying out a deportation order for them would be reasonable.

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“The secretariat is suspending asylum procedures and decisions for asylum seekers from Syria with immediate effect until the situation can be reassessed,” it said on X.

Switzerland’s decision follows those of other European governments to put asylum applications on hold for now.