Chancellor suggests deportations could begin ‘in the near future’ as government seeks to counter rise of AfD
Syrians no longer have reason to be granted asylum in Germany after the end of their country’s civil war, according to Friedrich Merz, who said they will instead be encouraged to return to help with the reconstruction of their homeland.
During Syria’s 14-year civil war, Germany took in more refugees than any other country in the EU, but the chancellor and others in his coalition cabinet argue that the situation has changed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government 11 months ago.
Merz said late on Tuesday that he expected many of the more than 1 million Syrians living in Germany would voluntarily return home.
“There are now no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can also begin with repatriations,” he said. Those who refused to return could face deportation “in the near future”.
