The Chancellor of Germany Olaf Solz assured Syrian refugees who have been “integrated” that they remain “welcome” in the country, as conservative parties and the far right call for their repatriation.

“He who works here, who has integrated, is welcome in Germany, that’s obvious,” the Social Democratic chancellor said in a post on Platform X, noting that “certain statements, in recent days” had caused concern among Syrians.

At Germany about 1 million Syrians live today. Most fled there after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011 and especially during the migration crisis of 2015. Some have taken German citizenship, but the rest are vulnerable if a deportation process begins.

On Monday, Germany and other EU countries, such as Austria and the Swedenannounced they were suspending decisions on Syrian asylum applications, a day after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Already on Sunday, the chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel had written on Platform X: “We no longer accept anyone!”.

Polls put the AfD in second place in the February 23 parliamentary elections. However, even in the Christian Democratic, conservative parties, which are expected to win the elections, some voices are calling for the repatriation of the Syrians settled in Germany. Among them, Mr Gens Spahnsuggested that the government “rent aircraft” and give a bonus of one thousand euros “to those who want to return to Syria».

A study published today suggests that a possible return of Syrians to their country could lead to labor shortages in hospitals and other sectors such as transport.

In his message, Olaf Solz recalled that “around 5,000 Syrian doctors are currently working in German hospitals”.