Asylum Confederation deploys liaison officer for talks with Eritrea
The federal government wants to send a liaison officer to the region again for talks with Eritrea. State Secretary Christine Schraner Burgener said that the country's willingness to readmit its own nationals was a prerequisite for further negotiations.
23.06.2024, 05:43
23.06.2024, 06:00
SDA
Switzerland is prepared to negotiate an agreement with Eritrea, said Christine Schraner Burgener, State Secretary for Migration, in an interview with "SonntagsBlick".
So far, Eritrea has not allowed forced returns from any country. "But we are staying on top of it and are in constant discussion," she said. There are currently around 260 rejected Eritrean asylum seekers in Switzerland who should be returned. The liaison officer will be stationed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and will be in Eritrea on a regular basis.
Parliament's demands
A transit agreement with a third country would not change Eritrea's position, said the State Secretary. However, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) would examine this political demand.
In June, Parliament adopted a motion that rejected asylum seekers from Eritrea should be returned home from Switzerland via a third country. As a migration partnership or readmission agreement with Eritrea is not on the horizon, the majority of the National Council argued that more pressure was needed. It also called for a representative responsible for migration issues in the region.
Outsourced asylum procedures
The SEM is also examining the outsourcing of asylum procedures to third countries, as the State Secretary said. This would mean relinquishing sovereignty over the asylum decision, she noted. "We must never forget that we are committed to human rights and must also show solidarity," she said.
She believes that the European Union's plan to carry out reception procedures for asylum seekers with a low protection quota at the external borders is a "very good" approach. Switzerland had supported this reform. It should start in two years, said Schraner Burgener.
Move to the Department of Foreign Affairs
Schraner Burgener will have left the SEM by then. She is moving to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). This is because she is eyeing a post in an international organization, as she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs was looking for someone to run for the position and had asked her. She did not wish to comment further on the post, which will be advertised next year.
