More than a year has passed since Bashar Assad was overthrown, and according to the chancellor, conditions in Syria have “fundamentally improved”, including the fact that the civil war has ended. That is why it is necessary to “reevaluate” protection needs, claims Merz.
Those who no longer have the right to stay in Germany will leave the country, the chancellor said. This applies especially to those who “abuse our hospitality” and do not follow German laws. Merz already said last November that the civil war in Syria is over, “therefore there are no longer any reasons for asylum in Germany”.
Berlin is interested in the well-integrated Syrians remaining in the country. On the contrary, Merz wants to deport the punished citizens of Syria to their homeland as soon as possible.
The main topic of the meeting of Šara, who arrived in Berlin on an official visit, was the repatriation of Syrian refugees to their homeland and the restoration of the country destroyed during the civil war.
Forty-three-year-old Shara was previously the leader of the Islamist militia HTS, which at the end of 2024 overthrew the long-time ruler of Syria, Bashar Assad. Currently, Šara and his provisional government are trying to establish a connection with the West.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the German capital, Berlin, during his meeting with the Syrian community there. pic.twitter.com/A4tlXbjTLj
— Fareed Al Mahlool | فريد المحول (@FARED_ALHOR) March 29, 2026
However, Šara’s visit was not met with enthusiasm. Demonstrations were held in Berlin, in which several thousand people participated. The Kurdish Community of Germany (KGD) calls on Chancellor Merz to demand guarantees for the protection of minorities. They accuse Sara of violating human rights and war crimes. On their banners appeared the slogan “Shara before the court, not to the chancellery”.
On the contrary, the Syrian community welcomed him as a pop star. “Allahu Akbar!” (God is great) shouted supporters of the Syrian community when Šara met them on Sunday at an event in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel in Berlin. There, the hall was frantically applauding the former jihadist. This is proven both by private videos on the X social network and by images of the Syrian state news agency Sana. According to her, the interim president said at the event that he was proud of the fact that Syrians in Germany maintain their national identity and ties to their old homeland, Bild daily wrote.
