German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the end of the civil war in Syria and his intention to begin the process of returning Syrian refugees to their homeland. He invited President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss the deportation of those who have no legal grounds to remain in the country.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that Syrian refugees would be able to return home, as the civil war there has ended. He also announced his intention to consider deportation and invited President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Germany to discuss this issue. This is reported by UNN with reference to Handelsblatt and Tagesschau.
Details
On Monday, November 3, in Husum, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, at a joint press conference with Schleswig-Holstein Minister-President Daniel Günther, stated that since the civil war in Syria has ended, the process of returning Syrian refugees home can begin.
The civil war in Syria is over. There is absolutely no reason for asylum in Germany now, and therefore we can begin repatriation.
– said the Chancellor.
He expressed hope that many Syrian refugees would voluntarily return home and participate in its reconstruction. Germany, he said, would support this process and provide assistance in the reconstruction of Syria.
At the same time, German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul, who recently visited Syria, after seeing the destruction, doubted that most refugees would agree to return in the near future: "It is practically impossible for people to live a truly dignified life here."
Commenting on this, Merz noted that in the future, Germany must differentiate between asylum procedures and labor migration.
I am very dissatisfied that we still have in the asylum procedure those whom we could integrate into the labor market or have already partially integrated.
– explained the head of government.
He also stressed that Berlin may in the future deport those Syrians who have no legal grounds to remain in the country and refuse to return. To discuss this issue, Merz invited interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Recall
The number of refugees in Germany decreased by 50,000 people in the first half of 2025, reaching 3.495 million. The reasons for the reduction were deportations, voluntary departures, and naturalization, including more than 83,000 Syrians who received citizenship.
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