BERLIN
Germany pledged Wednesday to press ahead "with facilitating the repatriation" of Syrian refugees to their homeland amid statements by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who has doubts about the return anytime soon.
“The current focus is on stabilizing the situation in Syria, facilitating repatriation, and enabling the voluntary return of refugees. This is a process contingent on numerous legal prerequisites and the German government is working on them,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said at a news briefing in Berlin.
“Naturally, the federal government has an interest in stabilizing Syria. It has an interest in Syrians rebuilding their country and returning to Syria, and therefore, it is promoting this return. However, the necessary legal and material conditions must be in place for this to happen,” he added.
The comments come amid fierce criticism of Wadephul from within his Christian Democratic party for saying that returning Syrians was "only possible to a very limited extent at the present time, because a great deal of infrastructure in this country has indeed been destroyed."
Wadephul made the comments during his recent visit to Harasta, a suburb of Damascus, where he was shocked at the level of destruction as a result of the civil war from 2011 to 2024.
While Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his support for the embattled minister, he also announced plans Monday for an invitation of President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Berlin for talks on Syria’s political transition, economic recovery and the repatriation of refugees.
“The civil war in Syria is over, and the country now needs all its resources, above all the Syrian people, to rebuild the country,” said the conservative leader, adding that refugees are expected to begin returning to their home country.