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AS many as 720,000 Syrians who sought refuge in Germany during the 14-year-long civil\u00a0war will be forced to return home.<\/p>\n
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the situation had \u201cchanged fundamentally\u201d after the fall of the Assad regime and that \u201cthe need for protection must therefore be reassessed\u201d.<\/p>\n
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa address the media during a press Conference in BerlinCredit: Getty<\/p>\n
An officer of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) escorts a group of migrants near Forst, eastern Germany on October 11, 2023, during a patrol near the border with PolandCredit: AFP<\/p>\n
German police check people arriving from France at the German-French border on September 16, 2024 in KehlCredit: Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the longer perspective of the next three years, that \u2026 was the wish of President al-Sharaa, about 80 per cent of the\u00a0Syrians currently living in Germany\u00a0should return to their homeland,\u201d the leader said during a press conference in Berlin with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an interest in those who live here, want to stay and are well-integrated \u2013 that these people stay in\u00a0Germany. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut many who are here are needed at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Syrians who no \u200clonger have \u201ca valid residence rights\u201d will take \u201cinitial priority,\u201d Merz added.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t POLL OF THE DAY<\/p>\n Should UK deport illegal migrants to Syria? VOTE NOW<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n Al-Sharaa did not confirm the 80 per cent figure. <\/p>\n He noted that\u00a0Syrian refugees in\u00a0Germany\u00a0include \u201c6,000 doctors working in hospitals, and more than a quarter of a million people who pay taxes and contribute actively to the German economy.\u201d <\/p>\n He described them as \u201ccommon national assets\u201d to the two countries.<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a circular immigration model that allows skilled\u00a0Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their motherland without giving up their stability and the lives they built here, for those who wish to stay,\u201d al-Sharaa said.<\/p>\n Both Merz and Sharaa admitted that some Syrians would stay in Germany \u2013 but did not break down the figures.<\/p>\n As of late 2024, nearly one million Syrians\u00a0resided in Germany, making it the largest Syrian diaspora in Europe.<\/p>\n Around 712,000 have been granted official refugee status or temporary protection, and about 244,000 of them have received a German passport.<\/p>\n UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, revealed last year that at least 1.2million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighbouring countries since December 2024.<\/p>\n Franziska Brantner from Germany\u2019s opposition\u00a0Green Party\u00a0stressed that many Syrians are \u201cdeeply anchored\u201d in Germany.<\/p>\n Blasting Merz\u2019s repatriation goal as \u201creckless,\u201d Brantner added: \u201cFor many people, returning to Syria is simply not an option at all.\u201d<\/p>\n In the UK, the Labour government is also working to bring down the number of refugees arriving through the Channel.<\/p>\n It comes as taxpayers will fork out a further \u00a316 million to extend a highly criticised deal to fund French migrant patrols.<\/p>\n Home Secretary\u00a0Shabana Mahmood<\/a>\u00a0is holding out for a better deal, which could include incentives for French cops to stop more attempted crossings.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the latest figures, just a third of boats\u00a0are stopped by\u00a0police\u00a0across the Channel despite the \u00a3475 million agreement signed in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/credit-image-thomas-krych-zuma-1054536401.webp.webp\"\/)
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