Benjamin Dousa, Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, has reiterated his position in a recent meeting with Assyrian representatives that any Swedish state aid to Syria will be conditional on Syria's treatment of Christians and indigenous groups like Assyrians.
His remarks were made during a recent meeting in Stockholm with representatives of the Assyrian community in Sweden, a meeting in which he explained that this policy will apply to all Swedish aid to the entire Middle East.
The Assyria Post
"We talked about how Sweden can support Assyrians in Syria and we are pleased that the Swedish government is pushing for Syria to include all groups" said Zeki Bisso, who was part of the Assyrian delegation who met the Minister at the governments office in Stockholm in February this year to Swedish newspaper LT.
Sweden has sent hundreds of millions of Swedish kronor in aid to Syria in recent years, mostly as humanitarian and development assistance delivered through the UN and aid organizations rather than directly to the Syrian government.
Robert Halef, another Assyrian representative present during the meeting, said that Sweden is adopting this position for all the Middle East: "The minister said that the demands Sweden has on Syria regarding respect for minorities and inclusion are part of the Swedish government's strategy for the whole Middle East and applicable for other countries in the region."
Sweden currently has a right-leaning government led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson from the Moderate Party. His coalition government includes the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. The governing coalition relies on parliamentary support from the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist right-wing party, to maintain a majority in parliament.
