Berlin [Germany], March 31: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said that 80% of the more than 900,000 Syrian nationals in Germany should return to their home country in the next three years.
Speaking at a press conference during Syrian interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa's first visit to Berlin, Merz said that Syrians are needed at home to join reconstruction efforts, while stressing that those "who wish to remain in Germany and are well integrated will be able to stay in Germany."
Germany was one of the main destinations for Syrian refugees fleeing the country's devastating civil war under dictator Bashar al-Assad, taking in far more than any other EU country.
Many thousands reached Germany in 2015-16 when chancellor Angela Merkel decided to open the borders to refugees, and the issue has a particular political sensitivity in the country.
Many have since become German citizens, but calls for Syrian nationals to leave Germany have risen in conservative and far-right circles following al-Assad's ousting in late 2024 by an Islamist coalition led by al-Sharaa.
"Over the longer term of the next three years - that was the wish of Al Sharaa - 80% of the Syrians currently in Germany should return to their homeland," Merz said, according to a transcript distributed by the Federal Press Office after the press conference.
Merz said the majority of Syrians want to return to their country, rebuild it and live in safety, freedom and dignity.
The chancellor added that Al Sharaa has said returning Syrians would be "welcome." "That is surely the key message of your visit here in Berlin today," Merz told the Syrian leader.
Al Sharaa thanked Germany for taking in Syrian refugees.
"We will never forget how you opened your doors to a million Syrians when they were in dire need and all other doors remained closed to them," said Al Sharaa.
"You have given our children the opportunity to learn, to work and to build a new life for themselves."
Source: Qatar Tribune
