Syrian leader pledges to work with Germany on migration, recovery

BERLIN: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday pledged to work with Germany to enable more Syrians to return home and rebuild their country after its devastating civil war, as he made a historic visit to Berlin.

Europe’s top economy is home to the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union at more than a million, many of whom arrived during the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-2016.

After meeting Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sharaa said that “we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a ‘circular’ migration model”.

This would “enable Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland without giving up the stability and lives they have built here, for those who wish to stay”, he said.

Merz, who has made a tougher immigration policy a priority since taking office last year, also said he and Sharaa were “working jointly towards more Syrians being able to return to their homeland”.

Sharaa, 43, a former Islamist rebel leader, was speaking on his first trip to Germany since ousting his country’s longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.