Former German finance minister Christian Lindner has called for Syrian refugees in Germany to return to their home country after the sudden fall of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad.
“For those people who came to us from Syria because of the civil war, returning home must be the rule,” the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) told dpa in Berlin.
“Those who want to stay can apply for permanent residency under our immigration law,” he said.
Lindner said remaining in Germany must be tied to clear criteria, rather than an automatic process. “The key factors are whether the person can support themselves through work, whether they have committed any crimes and whether they clearly identify with our free and democratic constitution,” he said.
“As a host society, we have the right to decide. We cannot afford immigration into our social system,” he added.
According to the German Interior Ministry, around 975,000 Syrians currently live in Germany, most of whom arrived after 2015 as a result of the civil war in Syria.
More than 300,000 of them have subsidiary protection, a lower legal status than asylum or refugee status, awarded on the basis of the war, rather than because of individual persecution.
A rebel alliance led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched a rapid offensive earlier this month, resulting in the ousting of al-Assad, who had ruled the country for over two decades.
HTS has since established an interim government in Damascus.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Lindner from his role as finance minister in November following months of fierce dispute over the 2025 budget and economic policy, triggering the collapse of Germany’s centre-left coalition.
Left in a minority government with the Greens, Scholz then lost a vote of confidence in parliament last week, paving the way for early elections on February 23.
Migration, long a hot-button issue in Europe’s biggest economy, is set to play a major role in the campaign.
Lindner said the German government should quickly negotiate an agreement with the new leadership in Syria for the country to take responsibility for its nationals living in Germany.
He said Germany could be an attractive partner for the Syrian leadership in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.
“But such a partnership must be based on reciprocity. If Germany supports the economic development of Syria, the expectation must be linked to the fact that a new Syrian leadership will work to ensure that exit obligations from Germany are fulfilled after the country has stabilized,” he added.
The FDP leader expressed reservation about the idea of offering financial assistance for Syrians who decide to return home, which has been floated by Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU).
Lindner said German taxpayers had spent many billions of euros on hosting Syrians in recent years. “I therefore view the financial start-up assistance for voluntary departure proposed by the CDU with scepticism,” he said.