Assad crashed! Why Syrian refugees want to stay in Germany

Assad crashed! Why Syrian refugees want to stay in Germany

Osnabrück, Deutschland - Since the surprising fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a heated discussion about the return of Syrian refugees is brewed! But the view that many of them return to Syria is questionable. The renowned migration researcher Jochen Oltmer warns of excessive return expectations. In an interview with the WORLD the bonds of the refugees to Germany should not be underestimated. After the experience in Yugoslavia, it turns out: Even after the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few returned.

Oltmer draws an important comparison to the history: after the end of the Yugoslavia 1999, only about 17,000 returned from 350,000 fled. These numbers are thoughtful, because there are hardly any signs of a new wave of returns in Syria. All experiences show that refugee people build much stronger relationships with their country of arrival. It's no different in Germany. Almost a quarter of the Syrians living in Germany consists of students who have made close roots here. No wonder that many Syrians now see Germany as their new home.

orphaned hopes for return

So what does all this mean for our society? Companies, schools and municipalities have invested a lot in the integration of these people! Oltmer points out that return claims could endanger these successes. We should rather concentrate on exploiting people's potential! Integration, says Oltmer, remains the only promising way.

The political developments in Syria also continue to feed this debate. Amnesty International recently pointed out security concerns regarding a return that may not be ignored. In addition, many Syrian families are firmly rooted in Germany and see their future there. The situation is still influenced by the events in Syria because the situation remains unstable. The opening of the asylum procedure for Syrians is temporarily frozen.

The future of the Syrian diaspora

Clear: The question of return is complex and goes far beyond simple confessions. It remains uncertain whether there will be a way back for many Syrians in the near future. Migration policy has to adapt in the long term to meet the new realities, such as MSN reported. The social bonds, both emotionally and economically, are strong enough to carefully approach the return debate.

The discussions run hot, the opinions are shared, but a larger wave of return seems unlikely. Society and politics must act wisely in order to promote the opportunities that lie in integration. Because one thing is certain: the voice of the Syrian diaspora becomes more important, while political stability in Syria itself remains unsafe.