'Of course we will all visit our country, but it's a much different place now.' CGTN’s Natalie Carney speaks to Munich’s Syrian diaspora about the events back home.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The powerful images of thousands of refugees, mostly Syrian, flooding into Munich's main
00:06train station back in 2015 and 2016 have become historic.
00:12Many have since built a life for themselves in their host country, such as restaurant
00:17owner Mohamed Tepse, who has been in Germany since 2014.
00:22Ever since he left Syria, Mohamed has been following the news back home, but couldn't
00:26believe what he heard over the weekend.
00:32It was like a dream that came true, that made us feel alive again.
00:36We are happy.
00:37Our blood is bubbling from happiness.
00:42A few doors down, one of the city's most popular Syrian sweet shops has seen a wave of sales
00:47like never before.
00:49Yes, of course, for the past couple of days we have been celebrating with everyone.
00:58On Saturday, Sunday, it was madness here, like a festival.
01:02Everyone was celebrating, buying sweets, and we are very happy.
01:07Celebrations erupted in cities across Europe over the weekend, such as the German capital,
01:11Berlin, where thousands of happy Syrians took to the streets waving Syrian opposition flags.
01:18Many years after their arrival, the issue of refugees continues to be a controversial
01:23one in Germany.
01:25With snap elections here in Germany early next year, the recent events in Syria have
01:30provided political parties another issue to campaign on.
01:34The main opposition, Christian Democratic Union, is calling for support to repatriate
01:39Syrians who fled to Germany over the past 13 years.
01:43However, yet all parties in the current coalition government are urging patience, saying sending
01:48them back to their homeland is a second step.
01:51The first is to support the stability of Syria.
01:55German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says that his country and its partners would make their
02:00contribution to stabilizing the country based on UN resolutions on Syria.
02:06In the meantime, Germany has suspended asylum procedures for Syrian nationals, affecting
02:12nearly 48,000 applications.
02:16Yet Mohamed believes sending people back should be considered carefully.
02:25It's their country, and they are free to send Syrians back.
02:29But there are those who became doctors, engineers, and helped Germany.
02:34It makes no sense sending them back to Syria.
02:37It should be each person's choice.
02:42While many Syrians CGTN spoke to dream of returning home, they know that the country
02:49and the lives they left behind will never be the same.
02:53The United Nations estimates the minimum rebuilding cost would be 250 billion US dollars, and
03:01there are genuine concerns of what will come next politically.
03:05Both Germany and France have said that they are ready to work with Syria's new government,
03:10providing fundamental human rights for all ethnic and religious minorities are protected.
03:16Natalie Carney, CGTN, in Munich.