Germany seeks to encourage voluntary return of Syrian refugees

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Tuesday that Berlin aims to create favorable conditions to encourage the voluntary repatriation of Syrian refugees to their homeland. "Syrians should be encouraged to return voluntarily and enabled to...

Berlin Divided on Syria Deportations as Wadephul Voices Doubts

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sparked heated debate within his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), after voicing doubts about returning Syrian nationals to Syria during his visit to Harasta (Rural Damascus province on the...

Transit deal between Türkiye, Syria set to become fully operational

Coordination and integration at border crossings between Türkiye and Syria is advancing rapidly, and the transit transport agreement is set to become fully operational this month, said Mazen Alloush, director of public relations at the Syrian...

US warns Iraq against faction interference in its Syria operations

Iraq’s defense minister said the US Secretary of Defense called him about ten days ago to warn against Iraqi factions interfering in military operations carried out by US forces near the Syrian border. In an interview with Al Sharqiya TV, aired on...

Germany aims to encourage Syrian refugees to return home voluntarily, foreign minister says

BERLIN German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday his government wants to facilitate the conditions for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their home country. "Syrians should be encouraged to return voluntarily and enabled to...

Via Recta: Ancient testament to Damascus history and coexistence

2025-11-04T13:46:32+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News – Damascus Amid alleys shimmering with copper and history, Abu Salim sits behind the window of his small shop in the heart of Old Damascus, polishing brass coffee cups as if...

Damascus Airport “free zone” poised to become a regional transit hub

The General Authority of Land and Sea Border Crossings announced the resumption of operations at the free zone of Damascus International Airport after a 14–year suspension, receiving its first commercial shipment and marking “the beginning of a...

Syria’s reintegration with the global financial system starts in Washington

Enab Baladi – Wasim al-Adawi Syria has recently taken important steps toward reintegrating its financial institutions into the international system, most notably meetings in Washington held by Syria’s Minister of Finance, Mohammed Yosr Bernieh,...

Syrian President Welcomes U.S. Envoy and Military Leaders to Damascus

The sight of senior U.S. officials meeting Syria’s new president in Damascus marks a stunning reversal from years of American policy aimed at regime change. From Pariah to Partner? The meeting between Syrian President Al-Sharaa and high-ranking...

Lebanese speaker denies Israeli claims of arms transfers from Syria to Hezbollah

BEIRUT, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday rejected Israeli claims that weapons are being transferred from Syria to Lebanon, calling them "pure fabrication" and saying Washington's surveillance capabilities made...

German Foreign Minister backs expulsion of refugees to Syria

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has backtracked on comments made during a recent visit to Syria suggesting levels of destruction would discourage refugee return. Adopting a harsher line on returns, Mr Wadephul said there was “no longer any...

Espace du Ciel a 'Christian' project to rebuild Syrian society devastated by war

It was launched by educator and activist Jina Achji, who wanted to “offer a space” capable of bringing together and uniting “all communities”. The idea took its first steps in Aleppo in 2012 and has now spread to Hama and Homs. The invitation is...

Syrian refugees in Germany must return home, deportations will begin - Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that Syrian refugees would be able to return home, as the civil war there has ended. He also announced his intention to consider deportation and invited President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Germany to...

Damascus: Conference Warns Against Building the Economy on the Ruins of Human Rights

On Sunday 2 November, three Syrian civil society organizations convened a symposium in Damascus under the title “From the Rubble to Responsibility: Human Rights, Business, and the Future of Syria.” Organized by the Syrian Legal Development...

Syria’s Jihadi Rulers Allow Halloween Rave — But With Curfew

The Islamist junta which overthrew Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December 2024 took the unusual step of allowing a Halloween party in Damascus on Friday. The event was a somewhat awkward affair, especially after the midnight curfew arrived, and...

France’s Cement Maker Lafarge Faces Trial Over Funding Daesh in Syria

The French company, now part of Swiss conglomerate Holcim, allegedly transferred millions of dollars between 2013 and 2014 through its Syrian subsidiary to armed factions including Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra. The payments were reportedly made to...

Germany’s Merz calls for repatriation of Syrians as far-right surges

Audio By Carbonatix By Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -Syrians no longer have grounds for asylum in Germany now the civil war in their country is over, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, as his conservatives seek to fend off a...

French cement maker Lafarge goes on trial on charges of financing jihadists in Syria

PARIS — French cement maker Holcim’s Lafarge unit went on trial Tuesday, facing charges that its Syrian subsidiary financed terrorism and breached European sanctions to keep a plant operating in northern Syria during the country’s civil war....

Syrian National Bloc rejects gov't findings on Syrian coast abductions

The Syrian National Bloc condemns the Damascus government's denial of abductions in the coastal region, demanding an independent investigation into war crimes. The Syrian National Bloc’s Family and Society Committee has strongly rejected the...

Cement maker Lafarge goes on trial in France for 'funding terrorism' in Syria

The Lafarge Cement Syria plant, near Jalabiya, Syria, on February 19, 2018. DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP Eight and a half years after a judicial investigation was launched into the French cement maker Lafarge's activities in Syria, the first trial stemming...