German Foreign Minister Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock warned on Sunday that all those involved in the Assad regime's war crimes who try to flee and find refuge in Germany will be prosecuted for their actions, stressing that "we will use the full severity of the law with them."
Baerbock stressed the need for close cooperation between security authorities and the secret services around the world, declaring: "Germany will not become a haven for criminals who escape responsibility for their crimes."
Germany's interior minister, Nancy Pfizer, also joined the warnings, making it clear that the country was taking "maximum vigilance" when it came to border enforcement: "No one who was involved in atrocities is immune from prosecution here."
At the same time, senior German officials stressed that Syrian refugees who have integrated well in recent years will continue to be welcome in the country even after the end of Assad's rule. In a video released by Chancellor Olaf Scholz over the weekend, he tried to calm the situation: "Anyone who works here and integrates well is and will remain welcome in Germany. It is self-evident."
According to him, some of the refugees hope to return to their homeland in the future. "We will support this as soon as the situation allows," Scholz said, adding that "however, only the next few days, weeks and months will be able to show where Syria is headed after the Assad era."
* Channel 14 contributed to this article.
