Sputnik: Can you tell us about the situation surrounding the refugees who have received status in Germany and yet are returning to Turkey?
Christian Blex: Well, you know, if it's so dangerous, it wouldn't have come. These people obviously do not expect any danger in Syria. Therefore, a few return because they cannot bring their families to Germany and if these people really were persecuted in Syria like people are being told by our state-run media, they wouldn't return. So, the situation in Syria, it's important, and here they have subsidiary protection which means that the protection is limited in time. If, for example, the war is over, they would have to return. People are not allowed at the moment to catch up with their families right now in Germany. And I think this is how it should be. Because it is temporary.
Sputnik: I think the members of your party have recently traveled to Syria to scout the Syrian situation. Do you believe it is safe for them to return?
Christian Blex: Well, I was a member of this group. In fact, I organized the trip to Syria. Where we met, there were quite a lot of high-ranking groups of representatives of all religions and all of them called for return of the Syrians to Syria. And even members of the Red Crescent did it as well. For me, I think, for the most part, they want their people back, on March 8, and that was certain, religious representatives in Aleppo — Christians, Muslims, all together — were united in peace and they told us that they want their people back.
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Despite this warmongering of the United States, I don't think that all of, well if there would be an attack, it will hopefully [be] limited to some military installations, probable attacks won't cause new suffering in Syria by the US and its willing helpers. But, nevertheless, I think most parts of the country are secure. There is no fighting.
Sputnik: It's reported that as many as 4,000 people have disappeared and it's thought that they may have returned using the services of human smugglers. Do you really think this trip is safe?
Christian Blex: It's always dangerous if you travel illegally through a lot of European countries to finally reach Germany. It's a fact. But the return could be easier, for example, with German residents, they can use allies. They can travel freely in the European Union; all they have to do is to cross through Turkey. Yes, therefore they have to pay. It's not a regular travel, it's illegal. So, every illegal travel has its dangers.
Sputnik: Can you please explain a little bit more about their exact status?
Christian Blex: Their protection is limited to the end of the conflict… And the conflict here, for our German government, for the Merkel government, it's the Syrian war. And therefore, after the war, everybody should return, but it depends on the United States and their interference there. The Merkel government, they need this picture of Syria because they let everybody in two and a half years ago, and this was illegal. And the only justification was this situation which is brought to our German people by the German state media, in Syria. After the war, people should return to Syria and therefore they shouldn't bring their families to Germany. Why should they?
Sputnik: The German parliament is set to discuss a draft legislation which will restrict refugee family reunifications. What are your expectations? Will that be passed?
Christian Blex: In fact, it will allow them to bring their families to Germany. If these people with the subsidiary protection they can't bring their families to Germany right now, and the Merkel government wants to change this. So, I don't think that Mrs. Merkel wants to send them back after the war. I think she wants to have these people permanently living in Germany. This is Merkel, and CDU, and SPD, they want to do this. They want to get more people to Germany.
Sputnik: What are the reasons? There must be a reason [for this].
Christian Blex: The politics of Mrs. Merkel's moralism. It's not about pragmatism; it's not about right or wrong. It's simply, we want to be good.
The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Christian Blex are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect Sputnik's position.
