Berlin – The website Info Migrants reported on Friday that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s talks in the Syrian capital Damascus focused on the situation of Syrian refugees in Germany and the possibility of their return.
According to the site, Wadephul discussed the issue with Syria’s interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa and other officials during his visit to Damascus.
The German Foreign Minister acknowledged that weak infrastructure and continuing instability in Syria make large-scale refugee returns from Germany extremely difficult at present, Info Migrants said.
He added that “It is in the understandable interest of the Syrian government to create the conditions for as many Syrians as possible to return, but this is currently only possible to a very limited extent, because a great deal of infrastructure in this country has been destroyed.”
Wadephul noted that Germany would act “in a very practical way” to enable its companies to operate in Syria, adding that deportations of Syrian refugees from Germany would apply only in “very few exceptional cases of truly serious criminals.”
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On Thursday, Wadephul visited Damascus and met with Al-Sharaa and other members of Syria’s interim government, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
SANA reported that the talks covered bilateral relations between Damascus and Berlin, and explored ways to enhance political, economic and humanitarian cooperation, as well as regional and international developments of mutual concern.
Both sides stressed the importance of diplomatic dialogue and direct communication between Syria and Germany to support regional stability and strengthen opportunities for cooperation in the interests of both nations.
Following the meeting, Wadephul said at a press conference in Damascus that Germany supports Syria’s territorial unity and believes the new Syria must be a home for all its communities.
He welcomed the holding of parliamentary elections in Syria but said they should also take place in the provinces of Hasakah and Raqqa – both under the control of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria – as well as in Suwayda, the Druze-majority city in southern Syria that witnessed widespread violations by government forces earlier this year. He added that Syria could play a special role as a bridge between Europe and the Gulf states.
Wadephul said Syria could become a model in areas such as counterterrorism, drug control and reducing Iranian influence, stressing the need for accountability for those involved in bloodshed in Suwayda and the coastal regions, and to prevent such events from recurring.
