Al-Sharaa was the one who set the 80% percentage for Syrian returnees

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz explained that the 80% target for the return of Syrians residing in Germany originally belongs to the interim Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Meretz said in Berlin on Tuesday, “The number of 80% of returnees during the next three years is what the Syrian president mentioned. We have taken note of this number, but we are aware of the dimensions of this mission.”

Meretz caused confusion due to an unclear wording he made during Al-Sharaa’s visit to Berlin yesterday, Monday. Where he said in text: “In the longer term perspective of the next three years, and this was also the desire of President Al-Sharaa, it is expected that about 80% of the Syrian men and women currently in Germany will return to their homeland.” It was understood from this statement at the time that Meretz shared President Shara’s desire.

Later, the Federal Press Office revised the sentence in the minutes of the press conference, deleting the word “also” to read: “In the longer term for the next three years, and this was President Al-Sharaa’s desire, it is expected that about 80% of the Syrian men and women currently in Germany will return to their homeland.”

The next day, government sources added that the return of Syrians who left their country due to the civil war and the beginning of the reconstruction of their homeland was good news in principle.

In an “action plan” agreed upon between Germany and Syria and published by the German government, both sides confirmed their desire for the return of Syrians from Germany. The plan stated that this “voluntary, safe and dignified return” is linked to the provision of basic services and the rehabilitation of infrastructure. The plan also emphasized the role that the approximately one million Syrians who took refuge in Germany could play in the reconstruction process. Likewise, the two parties expressed their desire to cooperate regarding the return of Syrians who do not have the right to reside in Germany.

Meretz’s statements were met with criticism from prominent politicians, even from the Social Democratic Party, a partner in the ruling coalition, and even from the Christian Democratic Meretz Party, as these politicians emphasized the importance of Syrians integrating into German society and the labor market in Germany, and warned of the challenges that the labor market could face if Syrian technical personnel returned from Germany to their country.