Syria’s President: Investment Is Needed For Refugees To Return From Europe
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa contradicted claims by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last night, telling a London audience that he had not specifically said that 80% of the nearly 1 million Syrians in Germany should return home. Al-Sharaa was speaking at Chatham House during his first official visit to the United Kingdom, a day after meeting Merz in Berlin.
Speaking to the press after their meeting, Merz claimed it was al-Sharaa’s “wish” that “about 80% of the Syrians currently living in Germany should go back.” The figure drew astonishment in German political circles, given that over 244,000 Syrians have been granted German passports since 2015.
Al-Sharaa disputed the chancellor’s account, saying, “This statement is somewhat exaggerated. I did not say this. It was said by others, by the chancellor.” He added: “The return of the refugees is directly linked to the reconstruction of Syria. … We should not do this by just sending people on airplanes to go back.”
But al-Sharaa did outline a scenario in which hundreds of thousands of Syrians might return, stressing the need to rebuild Syria’s economy. He cited the role of international investment as necessary to create jobs and the infrastructure to make these returns sustainable, suggesting also that returning Syrians could prove a valuable workforce to companies entering the rapidly changing country.
Rebuilding the economy was a recurring theme in al-Sharaa’s 30-minute conversation at the renowned think tank. Asked about whether Syria could help with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Palestinian “self-determination,” he deflected the question, saying: “Syria suffered from the same things that the Gazan people suffered from. … But Syria now is concerned with reconstruction and building. The damage that Syria was subjected to is similar or more than that that was done in Gaza. … All of us are wounded.”
Al-Sharaa confirmed that transitional justice — which, alongside improvements to public services, has been the most pressing issue for his support base since the removal of Bashar al-Assad 15 months ago — was a top priority for his government. He emphasized that justice must be regulated by law and not pursued in ways that could undermine civil peace, saying, “We need legal frameworks for trials so there is no retaliation.”
He noted the scale of this challenge: Tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, committed crimes during the 14-year conflict, making any clear accountability extremely difficult. “We have reviewed similar situations other countries have went through, and we set criteria for accountability, including perpetrating mass crimes and those who were involved in indiscriminate barrel bomb shelling,” he explained. He added that many perpetrators have left the country and that Syria’s prior international isolation prevented it from requesting their extradition. “We cannot do this until we have diplomatic relations with those countries. We needed to be included in the legal systems. … We need an infrastructure for the transitional justice. It is a route that takes time.”
Diplomatic ties are still being rebuilt after years of international isolation under Assad’s government. Syria has maintained missions and some consulates in capitals across Europe and beyond, and many are reopening with reduced functions, limiting cooperation on legal and security matters.
On a more personal, reflective note, he added: “Those of us who suffered injustice lost our loved ones. I, too, was under the hammer. I feel the pain of those who endured these crimes.”
Al-Sharaa also addressed Syria’s political future, saying the country has conducted a national dialogue congress that will soon produce recommendations, including a constitutional declaration and a commitment to hold elections within five years. “We are paving the way for free elections in Syria,” he said. On political parties, he explained that because “the constitution is suspended after the constitutional declaration, the People’s Assembly will establish commissions to redraft the constitution, including legislation for political parties, and we will build the necessary infrastructure for them.”
Asked about concerns over “Islamist social restrictions,” such as the alcohol ban imposed by municipal authorities in Damascus, al-Sharaa said that with a working constitution and parliament, the mission of the president would be to “apply the laws rather than impose them on people.”
Al-Sharaa also highlighted the generational stakes involved in Syria’s recovery. When asked if he wanted his daughter to become the future president of Syria, he said that he would not wish the role on any of his children.