The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed the expectation that Syrian refugees will return home after the civil war in Syria supposedly ended. He spoke about possible deportations and an invitation to Berlin for President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss this issue during a joint press conference with Daniel Günther in Guzum on November 3.
According to Merz, there are currently no grounds in Germany to grant asylum to refugees from Syria, in light of the reported conclusions from the war. He stressed that work on repatriation could begin and expressed hope that a significant portion of people would return voluntarily to participate in rebuilding the country.
“The civil war in Syria has ended. There are now absolutely no grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can begin repatriation.”
– Friedrich Merz
The Chancellor also said that Germany would support efforts to rebuild Syria and expects that the majority of refugees will return voluntarily.
In the context of these statements, reference was made to earlier actions by Germany’s Foreign Minister Johannes Wadeful, who visited the Middle East and emphasized the realities of life for refugees. According to him, people now practically cannot secure a decent life amid the prolonged migration crisis:
“People here are practically unable to live a truly decent life”
– Johannes Wadeful
Merz added that in the future there is a plan to separate asylum procedures from labor immigration to Germany. He expressed dissatisfaction that the current system still allows some migrants to be integrated into the labor market, but this has not yet been fully realized.
The Chancellor noted that Berlin is considering the possibility of deporting those Syrian refugees who are in the country without grounds and refuse to return home. He also invited the interim President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa for further discussion of deportation issues and cooperation between the countries.
What is known about the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria
Since December 2024 there have been reports of changes in Syria’s leadership. The rebels claimed the fall of Damascus, and President Bashar al-Assad allegedly left the capital. Reports from Reuters and the Flightradar24 service, as well as sources from Syria, said that Assad’s aircraft might have been damaged, but confirmation was lacking. Later, the information about the event could not be confirmed.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali stated that the new authorities are ready to cooperate with the elected people’s leadership and take steps to transfer power peacefully. In Moscow and other capitals, there were also statements about the potential peaceful transfer of powers.
Subsequently, Mohammed al-Bashir, associated with the rebels’ Salvation Government, was appointed deputy prime minister of the transitional Syrian government; he was considered a close ally of some Islamist formations. In December 2024, Ahmed al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in the transitional period, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the group that opposed the Assad regime.