Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany plans to deport Syrian citizens with criminal records and has invited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Berlin for talks on the issue.
"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.
He added that Germany also wants to contribute to Syria’s stability and intends to discuss with al-Sharaa "how we can solve this together".
Merz’s stance marks a sharp departure from the policy of his predecessor, Angela Merkel, whose government adopted an open-door approach a decade ago, allowing around one million refugees, many of them Syrians, to enter Germany during the conflict.
Since then, the rise of the far right has pushed Merz’s conservative CDU party to take a tougher position on migration and border security, with an emphasis on speeding up deportations.
"I will say it again: the civil war in Syria is over. There are now no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany," Merz said.
President al-Sharaa, who took power from Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has embarked on several diplomatic visits aimed at restoring Syria’s international relations after years of isolation. He is expected to visit Washington in early November.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says international cooperation is essential for Syria’s recovery as investment slowly begins to return despite the scale of destruction after years of conflict.
Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed, and three other service members wounded, after an ISIS gunman ambushed a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra in central Syria, Pentagon officials said.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
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The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
Washington’s seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil shows a shift from financial sanctions to direct maritime action, further straining relations with Caracas and increasing risks for global shipping.
Anewz brings you the best videos of the day from around the world covering everything from uplifting events to updates in conflict zones.
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Flooding in Bolivia’s eastern Santa Cruz region has killed at least 20 people after an overflowing river swept through multiple communities, authorities said on Monday, with the toll expected to increase as rescue teams reach areas that were previously inaccessible.
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home in an apparent homicide, with police arresting their son, Nick Reiner, who is being held on a $4 million bond.
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