Syrian refugees in Germany must return to their homeland as the war in their country has ended, otherwise they face deportation, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Monday, LETA reports citing AFP.
In his latest comments on migration issues, Merz stated that Syrians who fled their country after 13 years of civil war have "no basis" to seek asylum in Germany anymore.
"As for those who refuse to return to their homeland — of course, we can deport them," Merz said while speaking in the city of Husum in northern Germany.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, during a visit to Damascus on Thursday, stated that the potential for the return of Syrians is "very limited," as much of the country's infrastructure has been destroyed as a result of the war.
This statement was criticized by Merz and his conservative party — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is trying to prevent far-right political forces from seizing the initiative on the highly debated migration issue.
Merz reported that he invited the interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to visit Germany to discuss "how we can solve this together." The Islamist forces led by Sharaa overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last year.
"Syria needs all its forces, and first of all all Syrians, to rebuild the country," Merz stated. He expressed confidence that many Syrians would return voluntarily.
There are about one million Syrians living in Germany, most of whom arrived there in 2015–2016, fleeing the civil war in Syria.
