Syrians no longer have reason to be granted asylum in Germany after the end of their country’s civil war, according to Friedrich Merz, who said they will instead be encouraged to return to help with the reconstruction of their homeland.

Media reports say that during Syria’s 14-year civil war, Germany took in more refugees than any other country in the EU, but the chancellor and others in his coalition cabinet argue that the situation has changed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government 11 months ago.

Deutsche Welle (DW) reports that Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday in a press conference that the civil war in Syria is over and “there are now no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany, which means we can also begin repatriations.”  "Those who then refuse to return to the country can, of course, be deported in the future," Chancellor noted.

Reuters says Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Germany to discuss deporting Syrian citizens with criminal records in Germany.

He reportedly appeared to contradict his foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, who after a visit to Damascus last week expressed doubt that many Syrians would choose to return given the devastation and ongoing instability, which he said made a dignified existence hard to imagine.

The Guardian says many of the 1.3 million Syrians living in Germany, almost a quarter of whom were born in their adopted home, have obtained citizenship, though the majority only hold temporary residence permits.

More than 7,000 Syrian doctors are reportedly employed in the health sector, often in rural regions that have been poorly served in recent decades.

According to The Guardian, only about 1,000 Syrians returned to their homeland with the help of federal aid over the first half of this year.