In yet another display of the strategic confusion that dominates German foreign policy, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has once again publicly advocated for increasing immigration from Syria to Germany. She did so in none other than Damascus during a press conference marking the symbolic reopening of the German embassy on Thursday, March 20th, stating that “Germany needs migrants to keep functioning” due to its low birth rate.
Far from offering solutions to the domestic problems caused by years of mass migration, Baerbock continues to double down on a model that has contributed to rising crime, social fragmentation, and terrorist attacks on German soil.
But what is truly astonishing is the context in which these statements were made. Baerbock opened the embassy despite Syria now being under the control of an Islamist government led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly linked to Al-Qaeda.
And that’s not all: Germany has already allocated over €100 million in aid to the new regime, while the European Union approved an additional €2.5 billion just last week for “reconstruction and humanitarian assistance” in Syria. The message is baffling: public money is being used to consolidate a new Islamist regime in the Middle East. At the same time, its citizens are being invited to migrate to Germany.
At the press conference, Baerbock also emphasized the importance of promoting the German language abroad through schools and universities to ease the future integration of migrants. But integration of whom, into what country, and under which values? The minister did not explain. Nor did she address the consequences of importing a population that often does not share or respect the basic principles of European liberal democracy.
To make matters worse, the symbolic nature of the event could not have been more telling: Syrian President Ahmed al-Scharaa once again refused to shake Baerbock’s hand, repeating the snub from her previous visit in January. The scene speaks volumes about the lack of respect shown by Europe’s new Islamist “partners,” whom the EU is now generously funding.
During the visit, Baerbock warned that Europe “must not allow the resurgence of extremist Islamist structures,” even though the new HTS regime—implicitly being recognized—has already murdered more than 740 Alawite civilians and over 7,000 Christians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In recent clashes, more than 270 people have been killed, including 148 pro-Assad fighters and 125 members of the new government forces.
Yet, despite the brutality, Baerbock went on to pledge another €50 million during a conference in Riyadh for “humanitarian aid” in Syria, in addition to the €8 million announced just days earlier. The minister stated that HTS would be “judged by its actions” while simultaneously promoting their legitimacy through diplomacy and European funding.
Germany is financing the reconstruction of a country now ruled by an Islamist group while at the same time calling for immigrants from that same country—and meanwhile, within Europe’s borders, terrorist attacks, violent crimes, and the daily fear of citizens continue to rise. The message being sent to the world is one of weakness, incoherence, and a dangerous disconnect between the political elite and reality. Germany is not just importing a crisis—it is funding it.
