German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited the new Syrian President Ahmad Shara to visit Germany on Monday. He wants to talk to him about Berlin’s plans to repatriate Syrians who have committed crimes. This was reported by the DPA agency, writes TASR.
“The civil war in Syria is over. There are no longer grounds for asylum in Germany, which means we can start repatriations,” Merz told reporters. The chancellor’s comments contradict the words of his foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, who said during a visit to Damascus last week that Syrian refugees living in Germany were unlikely to return to their war-torn country in the near future.
Wadephul said he was stunned by the destruction still visible almost a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “It is hardly possible for people to live here with dignity,” said the minister in the Damascus suburb of Harastá.
Merz promised that Germany would contribute to the reconstruction of Syria, but added that Syrian refugees who return home can help to a large extent. “Reconstruction is impossible without these people,” announced the chancellor. “And those in Germany who refuse to return to their country, we can, of course, expel in the near future,” he added. According to official data, approximately 951,400 Syrian citizens lived in Germany at the end of August, of which 920 had a deportation order.
