Since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime on 8 December, Egypt has repeatedly expressed the hope that the political transition in Syria will be inclusive and entirely Syrian-led.

It is a position that Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty reiterated during a phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shibani earlier this month. During the call, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s solidarity with Syria and unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Syrian people, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tamim Khallaf.

While Abdelatty said the political process should be inclusive and embrace all national forces in Syria, Shibani noted the two countries share a role in “achieving stability and prosperity for the region”.

In another sign of support, last week an Egyptian plane landed in Damascus, carrying 15 tons of essential food, medical and other supplies.

In phone conversations with his American and French counterparts Antony Blinken and Jean-Noël Barrot this week, Abdelatty again highlighted the importance of an inclusive and smooth political transition to ensure Syria’s stability, unity and sovereignty.

Egypt cautiously welcomed regime change in Syria, said a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity, and “is now at the stage of wait and see”.

Meanwhile, Cairo has taken measures to control the entry of Syrians into the country and regulate their residency, leaving some Syrians in Egypt worried that they may be forced to leave.

We will definitely return to our country, but the big question is when, said a Syrian housewife who has lived in Egypt for 13 years.

“We need to wait until there are provisions for basic needs, including electricity and water. Whole areas have been razed to the ground. People cannot afford to rebuild them alone. They must wait for the government to take on the job when it is capable,” she said.

Mazen, a middle-aged Syrian who works in a furniture factory, said that until he is sure that he can find a job in Syria he is in no position to return with his family. And while he is happy with measures announced by the Syrian Embassy in Egypt to facilitate the return of Syrians, he is concerned about new measures to control the entry of Syrians into Egypt.

The Syrian Embassy in Cairo has announced free travel permits for Syrians in Egypt who wish to return home but who do not have valid passports, and free return tickets, issued without need of a prior appointment, as long as applicants present an ID and photo.

Earlier this month, Egypt banned the entry of Syrians from anywhere in the world it they do not hold temporary Egyptian residency permits. Two weeks earlier, Egypt banned the entry of Syrian nationals holding European, American and Canadian residency permits unless they had first obtained security approval from Cairo. The same condition applies to Syrian Schengen visa holders, and Syrians married to Egyptians.

The decisions followed the mid-December ratification of a new law giving the government the power to determine refugee status.

The law requires asylum-seekers to submit applications for refugee status within 45 days of arrival. Failure to submit an application can result in imprisonment and/or fines, and if an application is denied, the applicant must leave Egypt for another country. 

Commentators say the new regulations reflect concern among security officials, following the rebels’ access to power in Syria, that radicals may try to enter Egypt in the guise of Syrian refugees and threaten national security.

The situation is causing particular worry among young Syrian men.

“Police are always checking the status of Syrian citizens, especially youth. If their stay is not legal, they can first be detained, then deported after paying for the plane ticket, which is expensive,” said Feras, who also works in a shawarma shop. He does not know how the recently declared measures by the Syrian embassy will affect these procedures.

Cairo is also suspending the renewal of existing residency permits for tourism, education and business, pending security checks. Many Syrians, including Abu Iyyad, a shawarma shop assistant, hold an education visa because their children are in school.

“I feel insecure. Failure to renew the visa may force me to leave before I am ready to move. The situation in Syria is still unclear,” he said.

He has considered applying for refugee status but fears that, at some point, UNHCR will declare that Syrians are no longer refugees since their country is open to receive them.

The younger generation of Syrians in Egypt may face another problem, explained the housewife.

“My nephew came here when he was nine years old. He is now 22. He has lived most of his life in Egypt, got his education here, made friends and has recently started working. It is home to him. Leaving will not be easy,” she said.

Since the uprising in 2011, Egypt has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have had access to educational and healthcare services.

Currently, 1.5 million Syrians reside in Egypt, the second-largest foreign community in the country after Sudanese, of whom UNHCR says only 148,439 are officially registered as refugees.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 January, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly