https://arab.news/w6r4j
- Germany has a large Syrian community, with hundreds of thousands having settled there after fleeing the civil war
- Wadephul said it was “in the understandable interest of the Syrian government to create the conditions for as many Syrians as possible to return”
DAMASCUS: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discussed the possible return of Syrian refugees with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa during a visit to Damascus on Thursday.
Germany has a large Syrian community, with hundreds of thousands having settled there after fleeing the civil war.
Wadephul said it was “in the understandable interest of the Syrian government to create the conditions for as many Syrians as possible to return.”
However, this was currently “only possible to a very limited extent, because a great deal of infrastructure in this country has been destroyed,” he added.
“Anyone who wants to return to Syria will be given a tearful send-off by us. But we will understand that perfectly well.”
As the German government looks to crack down on migration to curb the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), its leaders have sought to resume deportations to Syria.
But Wadephul said this applied to only “very few exceptional cases of truly serious criminals.”
Wadephul said Germany had a “special obligation” to help with reconstruction in Syria.
He vowed that Berlin would “work in a very practical manner to ensure that German companies can operate here.”
According to the United Nations, one million Syrian refugees have returned from abroad since the fall of Bashar Assad late last year.
Sharaa’s ministry said in a statement he and Wadephul had discussed bilateral relations “as well as ways to enhance cooperation in the political, economic and humanitarian fields.”
This was Wadephul’s first trip to Syria, though his predecessor Annalena Baerbock visited twice, most recently in March to reopen the German embassy in Damascus.
As part of his visit, Wadephul was taken on a tour of Harasta, a Damascus neighborhood heavily bombed by the Assad government.
He said the scenes were “reminiscent of the images we saw from Germany in 1945 after World War II.”
Syria has been ruled by a new government since the overthrow of Assad in December.
Its relations with the West have warmed, the United States lifting sanctions and European governments developing closer ties.
“We want the positive path that this people has embarked upon to be successful,” Wadephul said, calling on the government to “guarantee all citizens a life of dignity and security.”
Wadephul and a German delegation will also head to Lebanon and Bahrain during this Middle East trip, his ministry said.