Ministry of Security and Justice

>

Return address Postbus 20301 2500 EH The Hague

Bundesminister Dr. Thomas de Maizière, MdB
Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, MdB
pia Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Groot Hertoginnelaan 18-20
2517 EG DEN HAAG

Directorate-General for
Immigration

Migration Policy Department
2511 OP The Hague
Postbus 20301
2500 EH The Hague
www.rijksoverheid.nh/venj

Our reference

538843
Your reference

Date
16 July 2014
Concerning Syrian refugees

Please quote date of letter
and our ref. when reply,ng. Do
not raise more than one
subject per letter.

Dear colleagues,
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frans Timmermans, and the Minister for Foreign
Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, join me in thanking you
for your letter of 23 June calling on Europe to give a stronger signal of solidarity
with the Syrians.
The Netherlands shares your assessment that the crisis in Syria is potentially the
greatest humanitarian disaster the international community has ever experienced.
The impact of this crisis is devastating: the country is in ruins and the lives of its
people are shattered. The Netherlands is strongly committed to finding a
sustainable solution to this crisis and to alleviating the suffering of the most
vulnerable victims of the Syrian crisis. To that end, we have contributed € 83,5
million in humanitarian aid to assist internally displaced persons, refugees and
host communities. Although the Syrian people are paying the highest price for the
crisis in their country, hosting these vast numbers of refugees is becoming a
heavy burden for the neighbouring countries to bear. On numerous occasions,
most recently at the high-level meeting on 27 June on resettlement and other
forms of admission for Syrian refugees, the Netherlands has expressed its
gratitude to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq en Egypt for their hospitality they have
shown to Syrian refugees.
Because of the unspeakable suffering in Syria, The Netherlands grants asylum in
The Netherlands to the vast majority of applications made by Syrians. Since the
outbreak of the crisis, until May this year 4090 Syrian applicants have been
granted asylum status as a basis for their stay in the Netherlands.
In addition, the Netherlands has responded to the earlier cali of UNHCR for the
resettlement of Syrian refugees by providing 250 resettiement places for Syrian
refugees in The Netherlands in 2013 and 2014. In cooperation with UNHCR staff,
our services are still in the process of meeting the target of 250 Syrian refugees.
Last January, a resettlement mission visited Jordan and selected around 100
refugees for resettlement in The Netherlands. At the moment a resettlement
mission to Lebanon is taking place with a view to meeting the target of 250
refug ees.

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The Netherlands will finalise its resettlement planning for 2015 this autumn. There
is a considerable likelihood that we will continue to provide places for
resettlement of Syrian refugees in the years ahead.

Directorate-General for
Immigration
Migration Policy Department

1 look forward to working with you on these urgent matters.

Date
16 July 2014
Our reference
538843

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