Syrian refugees in Germany: Hopes and realities of returning home
Chancellor Scholz believes that refugees from Syria could voluntarily return to their homeland once the situation stabilises.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) assesses that the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland now would be premature. Despite the fall of the dictatorship in Syria, there is still a "very, very dangerous situation," he assessed on Tuesday evening on ARD's "Tagesthemen".
He added that Germany, together with other countries, must do everything possible to make Syria a democratically governed country where people of different religions can live peacefully together. "Perhaps, if everything goes well, many of them will say they want to take part in rebuilding their country," Scholz remarked.
Syrians in Germany
However, migration researcher Prof. Jochen Oltmer from the University of Osnabrück considers this outcome unlikely, as many Syrians see their future in Germany. At present, Germany, along with some other EU countries, has only suspended accepting new asylum applications from Syrian citizens.
In Germany, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, nearly a million Syrians currently reside. They have immigrated since the onset of the civil war in Syria, which began in 2011 with an uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The peak of the refugee influx occurred in 2015. By the end of 2023, over 160,000 Syrians had received German citizenship, and by 2024, over 56,000 children of Syrian refugees had been born in Germany.
Will there be no wave of returns?
An expert from Osnabrück does not anticipate a wave of returns, although he acknowledges that some may be willing if the situation in Syria stabilises. "But one shouldn't overestimate that number," said Prof. Oltmer in an interview with the newspaper "Augsburger Allgemeine".
"All experiences show that refugees develop many ties with the host society," he added, noting that many Syrians arrived in Germany as children, teenagers, or young adults. They attended school, received education, and envision the future of their own children in Germany.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, Syrian citizens constituted the largest group of people who received German citizenship last year: 75,500 people. This accounts for almost 40% of about 200,000 naturalisations.
"These people see Germany as their new home," said Prof. Oltmer. He believes that Syrian refugees should be regarded as an integral part of society, and their potential should be harnessed.
