Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has attributed a controversial statement that 80% of the more than 900,000 Syrians in Germany should go back home within three years to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Merz made the announcement during al-Sharaa's visit to Germany on Monday, and clarified a day later that "the figure of 80% returnees within three years was cited by the Syrian president."

The comment has produced hefty criticism of Merz from across the political spectrum.

Speaking at an event in London on Tuesday evening, al-Sharaa rejected Merz's latest claim.

During the Chatham House gathering, the moderator asked al-Sharaa whether the 80% figure came from him.

The Syrian leader replied that "the statement is somewhat exaggerated."

"I wasn't the one who said that. It was the chancellor who said it. It came up in a conversation. I said that the return of the refugees is directly linked to Syria's reconstruction."

Al-Sharaa said that German companies had expressed an interest in investing in Syria.

Syrian refugees who had learnt the language and work processes in Germany could be given priority for employment at these companies' branches in Syria, he said, noting that the return of refugees must be properly organized.

He said he had told Merz that if all the necessary conditions were put in place, he would guarantee that 80% of Syrians would return.

Critics were quick to warn that returning hundreds of thousands of Syrians living in Germany on such a short time frame would be extremely complicated.

The importance of Syrian workers to the German economy has also been underlined, while some lawmakers warned that missing the high-profile 80% target would provide further fodder for the far right.

Berlin trying to draw a line

A German government spokesman appeared intent on putting an end to the controversy on Wednesday, telling journalists in Berlin that both sides were in general agreement that a "significant number" of Syrian refugees would have to return in the end.

"I am not going to engage in a word-by-word analysis of what the chancellor and the president actually said," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.

"That is inappropriate and merely panders to a superficial interest in a supposed conflict that is not a conflict at all."

Kornelius stressed that Berlin and Damascus agree that "for a significant number of war refugees" the grounds for protection no longer apply and that their return home is imminent.

"It is irrelevant who mentioned which figure and in what context," he added.