German foreign minister under pressure over return of Syrian migrants

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday insisted he has “no differences” with Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the issue of Syrian immigrants after coming under intense pressure from his own conservative party.

Wadephul’s comments last week in Damascus – in which he warned that it was “barely possible” for Syrians living in Germany to return home due to the devastation in the country – have been widely criticized by his colleagues in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Merz’s CDU has promised to step up deportations of foreign criminals and irregular migrants since taking office in May, hoping to ward off the threat from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The chancellor on Monday publicly contradicted Wadephul’s remarks, promising that Germany can “begin repatriations” of Syrians following the end of the civil war.

Berlin is negotiating with Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa to resume deportations to the Middle Eastern country after they were suspended in 2012 due to the conflict.

But Merz emphasized that the German government also wants Syrians to return to their homeland voluntarily to assist with the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

“And those in Germany who then refuse to return to their country, we can of course deport in the near future,” he added.

Senior CDU lawmaker Steffen Bilger was among those venting their frustration with Wadephul on Tuesday. “Clearly, it wasn’t good that we had to have this debate for days on end,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Alexander Hoffmann from the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), proposed that deportations of convicted criminals should be followed by those of unemployed Syrians.