UD says it’s not relevant to meet Norwegian IS woman in Syria

Ministry of Foreign Affairs aid moneyMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. Photo: Statsbygg

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is not appropriate to travel to Syria to bring a Norwegian IS woman home to Norway.

The woman, who grew up in Oslo East, travelled to Syria in 2013 to marry the Norwegian IS fighter, Bastian Vasquez, who died two years later. She is, together with her two children, who were both born in Syria, in a refugee camp in Al-Hol, and has, according to NRK, tried to get home to Norway.

Her lawyer, Bjørn Nærum, has now received an answer to her formal request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD) in which he asked them to send a representative of the Norwegian authorities to the detention camp.

Medical follow-up

In its reply, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that the Ministry does not conduct outreach activities and that they are not obliged to bring Norwegian citizens home from abroad. They also pointed
out that the opportunities to offer consular assistance in Syria are extremely limited.

“Norwegian citizens who have entered Syria in violation of the travel council advice cannot expect assistance from the foreign service” they answered.

According to the woman, her son suffers from a chronic lung disease that requires advanced treatment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they want to get in touch with the woman so that they can assist with medical follow-up in collaboration with humanitarian organizations.

Disappointed

Attorney Nærum told NRK that he is disappointed with the answer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and believes that this is a good example of Norwegian authorities’ view of the issues related
to the Norwegian IS wives.

Senior leader, Siv Jensen, has previously said that she does not feel any sympathy with the woman, and that she does not believe Norway should ‘lift a finger’ to get her home.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today