ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany and Syria have begun talks on the return of Syrian migrants from Germany, German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt told Rudaw on Saturday, with the two countries yet to reach a final agreement. “We have started talks with Syria after his [Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa] visit to Germany,” Dobrindt told Rudaw’s Ala Shali on Saturday. “I think we have embarked on a good path and process for that with Syria, but we haven't yet come to an end,” he said. Dobrindt said German authorities have divided Syrian migrants in Germany into three groups as they consider returns. The first includes people who commit serious crimes in Germany, whose return Berlin wants to pursue quickly. The second group includes people who have no clear legal basis to remain, while the third includes those who have integrated into German society, have jobs, and prospects for remaining. Germany is considering both forced deportations and incentivized voluntary returns, Dobrindt said. Germany received more than one million Syrians who fled the Syrian civil war (2011-2024), according to the German government. German and Syrian officials have held several recent discussions on the issue. On September 17, the two sides discussed cooperation on refugee and return matters, including creating conditions for safe and dignified returns, reported Syrian state media SANA. On Friday, Syrian officials met with a delegation from Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior in Damascus to discuss refugee returns and reintegration. The German side stressed that any return should be voluntary and dignified and coordinated with Syrian authorities. The discussions come amid a broader debate over immigration policy in Germany. The push for repatriations coincides with shifting political winds in Germany, highlighted by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's recent landslide victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections. In early September, the AfD captured a record 43.8 percent of the vote, securing 39 seats in the state legislature, just three seats short of an outright majority. Following the historic win, AfD co-chair Alice Weidel vowed to execute “the biggest deportation” of migrants in Germany's history within 100 days of taking office. Germany has historically maintained high acceptance rates for asylum seekers and war refugees, offering long-term residency and pathways to citizenship. Germany faces labor shortages linked to its aging population, while the government has continued to emphasize the integration of Syrians who are working and established in the country. In March, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany needed “reliable cooperation” with Syria on returns, particularly for people who no longer have grounds to remain. He outlined an objective for the return of 80 percent of Syrians to home over a three-year span.
World25-09-2026Iranian president says will ‘dilute’ 60 percent uranium enrichment, denies nuclear bomb ambition
