Strange new land: A Syrian refugee family arrives in Austria

For the past two years, Syrian rebel groups have been fighting to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The conflict forced more than 2 million Syrians to leave their homeland and seek safety in other countries. Neighboring nations such as Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt have been the prime recipients of the Syrian refugees.  But now, increasing numbers of refugees are being settled in European countries.

The BBC’s Matthew Price recently met with one Syrian family arriving in Vienna, Austria. The family left Syria a year ago and had stayed in Cairo and then Libya, where mounting instability made the parents and their two children risk taking a boat to Lampedusa in Italy. Later, with the help of the Red Cross, they went on to Austria, where they have now applied for asylum.

Matthew asked about the family’s journey and hopes for the future. Stability and educational opportunity are main priorities.