(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The Belgian government carried out a covert operation over a two-month to bring 244 Syrian Christians from Aleppo, Syria to Belgium via Lebanon. For safety reasons, the operation was conducted in the utmost discretion, local media on Wednesday quoted Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders as saying. "Here we have responded to the request of a minority. In the future, we are very willing to look at other applications like this, whatever the origin or conviction of the applicant" Reynders said noting that Belgium is currently home to 5,500 Syrian refugees.
The families were not selected just because they are Christian, Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken said.
"We have 5,500 Syrian people recognized since the beginning of the conflict. And there are a lot of Muslims. We don't make a choice between religions. But this is the most vulnerable group," said Francken.
The Syrian Christian families were taken to the Lebanese border and from
there were escorted by the Belgian embassy in Beirut. The last group arrived last weekend in Belgium where the majority population is Catholic Christians.
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