Syrian refugees see Germany as home amidst uncertain return
Chancellor Scholz believes that refugees from Syria may voluntarily return to their homeland when the situation stabilizes.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) believes that the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland at present would be premature. Despite the fall of the dictatorship, the situation there remains "very, very dangerous," he stated on Tuesday evening on ARD's "Tagesthemen."
He added that Germany, along with other countries, must do everything possible to ensure that Syria becomes a democratically governed country where people of different religions can coexist peacefully. "Perhaps, if everything goes well, many of them will express the desire to participate in rebuilding their country," said Scholz.
Syrians in Germany
However, migration researcher Prof. Jochen Oltmer from the University of Osnabrück considers this unlikely, as many Syrians envision their future in Germany. Currently, Germany, like some other EU countries, has paused accepting new asylum applications from Syrian citizens.
According to data from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, nearly a million Syrians reside in Germany. They have immigrated since the start of the civil war in Syria, which began in 2011 with an uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The peak refugee wave occurred in 2015. By the end of 2023, over 160,000 Syrians had received German citizenship, and over 56,000 children of Syrian refugees were born in Germany by 2024.
Will there be a return wave?
The expert from Osnabrück does not expect a significant return wave, although he acknowledges that there will undoubtedly be some willing to return if Syria stabilizes. "But this number should not be overestimated," said Prof. Oltmer in an interview with the "Augsburger Allgemeine" newspaper.
"All evidence suggests that refugees form strong ties with their host society," he added, noting that many Syrians came to Germany as children, teenagers, or young adults. They attended schools here, received education, and envision the future of their own children in Germany.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, citizens of Syria constituted the largest group of people who received German citizenship last year: 75,500 people. This accounts for almost 40% of the approximately 200,000 naturalizations.
"These people consider Germany their new home," said Prof. Oltmer. He emphasized that Syrian refugees should be regarded as an integral part of society, and their potential should be fully utilized.
