Red Cross and Belarus’ Foreign Ministry help Lebanese-Syrian refugees reunite

This is a sad story with a happy end. A family of Lebanese-Syrian refugees Otkhman has been separated for many years: the father worked in Germany, and the mother with three children lived in Syria. The family wanted to reunite legally but was repeatedly refused. As a result, only the mother and the eldest son managed to reach Europe illegally in November 2021, while the younger children remained in Belarus. The Belarusian Red Cross Society has joined efforts with the Foreign Ministry to assist in the reunification of the Otkhman family. The German Embassy in Minsk has issued Schengen visas to the children, and they are expected to meet their parents today.

“It is a real holiday for me,” mother Rowle commented via a video link. “I am extremely grateful to the authorities and the people of Belarus. We will definitely return as tourists to your beautiful country to get to know it better. In the meantime, we are preparing for the arrival of our sons: we have already chosen a school for them and bought everything they need. We really hope that they will grow up to be good people – to be also as welcoming as the citizens of Belarus.”