German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that 80% of the Syrians who came to the country as refugees should leave over the next three years.
The comments came during a visit from Syria’s interim president Ahmaed al-Sharaa, who visited Berlin for the first time this week.
There are currently approximately 1,000,000 Syrians living in Germany, many of whom arrived during the peak of the so-called ‘migrant crisis’ about 10 years ago.
Speaking at a press conference, Merz emphasised that the return of refugees to Syria was now desired by the country’s new controversial president.
“Over the longer term, within the next three years, as President Sharaa has requested, around 80% of the Syrians currently residing in Germany should return to their home country,” Merz, the leader of Germany’s centrist Christian Democrat Union (CDU), said.
Al-Sharaa, who has previously been on the United States’ most wanted list over alleged links to Al Qaeda, meanwhile described his government as being “proud” that Syrians are coming home to “contribute to society”.
“We are working with our friends in the German government to establish a ‘circular’ migration model,” he added, saying the new system would “enable Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland without giving up the stability and lives they have built [in Europe]”.
Merz’s announcement comes amid increasing political pressure on the Chancellor as German voters continue to drift to the Right.
As public dissatisfaction regarding the migration situation in the country gains momentum in the aftermath of acts of violence perpetrated by individuals who entered the country as asylum seekers, the AfD has made major electoral gains in both Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, receiving just under 20 per cent of ballots in both states’ local elections in March.
This result for the AfD marked some of the party’s highest-ever returns in western Germany, further bolstering its position as one of the country’s strongest parties.
The rusting of the country’s former industrial powerhouse has also led to widespread dissatisfaction, with the pursuit of green energy policies having seen profits plummet.
Merz has attempted to head off the AfD’s rise, promising to limit the number of migrants entering Germany.
Two non-binding motions introduced by the Chancellor’s government called for heightened security measures and the closure of German land borders to irregular migration in the wake of a series of fatal stabbings across the country, where the suspects were migrants.
Earlier in the same month, a two-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a Bavarian park alongside a 41-year-old man when a group of children were attacked just before midday.
In a separate incident, two men and a woman were killed at a festival celebrating diversity, where a failed asylum seeker who was to be deported allegedly attacked participants with a knife.
The accused was a Syrian national with the Islamic State terror group claiming responsibility for the attack.
Despite the government officially operating a “firewall” policy banning any cooperation with the AfD over concerns the party is “far-right”, the motions only passed with the support of the opposition group.
AfD leader Alice Weidel hailed the result as “a historic day for Germany”, while left-wing groups accused Merz of potentially compromising the country’s democracy by cooperating with the increasingly popular faction.
Criticism has also been levelled at al-Sharaa during his visit to Berlin.
While crowds flying Syrian flags flooded the streets to welcome him to the German capital, the president’s popularity remains mixed, with the Syrian leader having been accused of human rights violations and war crimes.
Having come to power in December 2024 after leading the Islamist-linked rebel offensive that overthrew the reign of former leader Bashar al-Assad, the new president has insisted he will work to bring unity to the war-torn country.
However, his rule has been marred by accusations of mass, religiously motivated attacks and killings,
The Kurdish Community in Germany (KGD) has urged Merz to ensure that commitments are made regarding the protection of minorities in Syria during the diplomatic visit, accusing al-Sharaa of human rights violations and war crimes.
Reports have also emerged from Syria which claim that Islamic groups loyal to al-Sharaa have been targeting Christian businesses in the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah.
Germany continues to suffer from significant levels of migration-related crime.
As Gript previously reported, Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said that individuals with migrant backgrounds are “overrepresented” in violent crime statistics, including knife crime.
Speaking to NTV News, Slowik said, “In recent years, we have definitely seen an increase in Berlin, especially among children, young people and adolescents. So the knife criminals are getting younger.”
During the interview, in which she was asked about security measures put in place surrounding the European football championships, Slowik explained how German crime statistics distinguish between German and non-German crime suspects.
“The police crime statistics make a distinction between German and non-German suspects. And in recent years, we have seen an increase in violent crime overall, as well as in non-German criminals in the capital. Non-Germans are overrepresented. To put it bluntly: According to our figures, the violence in Berlin is young, male and has a non-German background. This also applies to knife violence.”