The civil war in Syria is over, and that means there is no reason for Syrian refugees to stay in the country any longer, announced German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that Germany was ready to start deportations.
At a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Merz focused on his expectation that the majority of Syrians will return voluntarily. He added that Berlin was going to contribute to the reconstruction of this country. This position of the Chancellor contradicts the point of view of the German Foreign Ministry. It was only in a few weeks that during the visit to Damascus, the foreign minister claimed that the return of refugees in the near future was impossible because of destruction and instability.
According to official figures, there are around 951,000 Syrians in Germany; 920 of them, however, have criminal records or serious offences that are subject to deportation.
The situation is more complex because in December 2024, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, power in Syria passed to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a figure from the opposition; Germany has already invited him to discuss repatriation, including the return of criminals.
