Merz invites Syrian president to Germany to discuss deportations
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Germany's Chancellor Merz invites Syria's President Al-Sharaa to discuss deportations of migrants, signaling a major shift in asylum policy.
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Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on October 15, 2025. (AP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has formally invited Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Germany for talks on deporting Syrian nationals with criminal records. The announcement comes as Berlin ramps up its push to implement stricter migration and border control policies.
"We will, of course, continue to deport criminals to Syria. That is the plan. We will now implement this in a very concrete manner," Merz told reporters on Monday.
The invitation marks a significant shift in Germany’s approach toward Syria as Merz also expressed interest in working with al-Sharaa on efforts to stabilize the war-torn country in an effort to "solve this together."
Merz’s tough stance contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who enacted a landmark open-door refugee policy in 2015 that allowed over 1 million migrants, many from Syria, into Germany. Since then, support for far-right parties has surged, prompting the CDU under Merz to push for faster deportations and stricter border controls.
"I will say it again: the civil war in Syria is over. There are now no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany," Merz stated.
Al-Sharaa set to visit US in November: Syrian FM
Al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit the White House in early November, with the central agenda for the talks focusing on the reconstruction of Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani confirmed on Sunday.
The planned visit by Syrian President al-Sharaa to Washington was initially announced by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack on Saturday, with a White House official revealing that the timing of this visit is scheduled for around November 10.
"There will be many issues on the table, starting with the lifting of sanctions and opening of a new chapter between the United States and Syria. We want to establish a very strong partnership between the two countries," al-Shaibani said.
The Syrian president's upcoming visit is historically significant, as the US State Department confirms no Syrian president has ever made an official visit to Washington, a fact that follows al-Sharaa's own address to the UN General Assembly in New York this past September.
