BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday announced that the country would provide over 200 million euros (about 229 million U.S. dollars) this year to help the reconstruction of Syria.
Speaking at a press conference with visiting Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Merz said the funding will primarily support the construction of water supply systems and the reconstruction of hospitals.
The two countries are also cooperating on the return of refugees, he added, noting that about 80 percent of the Syrians currently living in Germany should return over the next three years.
Merz said that a year after the end of the war, the overall conditions in Syria have fundamentally changed, stressing the need for cooperation between the two sides on the return of refugees.
According to the German authority, there are more than one million Syrians who have found refuge in Germany since the outbreak of the civil war, which caused the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in late 2024.
During the press conference, Merz and al-Sharaa also expressed concern over the ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East.
"This war affects us all," Merz said, adding that energy prices for German households and businesses have been rising for weeks.
If this war escalates into a major regional conflict, it could place an even heavier burden on Germany and Europe, he said.
For his part, al-Sharaa expressed his concerns about the recent military escalation in Syria and the ongoing tension in the Middle East, saying that he condemns the Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and the attacks on regional Arabian states. ■