Sarah Wagnknecht, a member of the German Bundestag and leader of the Reason and Justice (BSW) party, has called for the lifting of economic sanctions on the Syrian regime to address the influx of refugees into Germany.
In an interview with the German newspaper Tagesspiegel on Saturday, September 14, Wagnknecht argued that Germany should lift the sanctions, asserting that the war in Syria has ended. She noted that before what she described as the “civil war,” Syria was a “relatively prosperous” nation, and only a small number of refugees—about 100 per year—came to Germany.
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Wagnknecht emphasized that the current economic sanctions are hindering Syria’s recovery and preventing the restoration of its pre-war status. “Instead of providing additional protection to newly arrived Syrians, we should focus on helping Syria recover,” she stated.
She also highlighted that Germany currently hosts nearly a million Syrians, with varying degrees of integration into the community. “My proposal is to signal to those who wish to come to Germany that we need to shift focus towards helping Syria build new opportunities,” she said.
The Alliance for Reason and Justice, led by Wagnknecht, is a political party in Germany that was founded on January 8 and represents a coalition of left-wing groups.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
