On August 31, 2015, Angela Merkel, following probing by journalists over the Syrian refugee crisis, said three words which became famous: "Wir schaffen das"! ("We can do it!"). And Anas Modamani, who met her again four months ago, told her: "Mrs Chancellor, I made it. We made it!".

On the tenth anniversary of the words that became a "slogan" for critics of the German leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), this was a great satisfaction. "She was proud and happy about it. She did not regret her decision and continues to think that opening the country's gates to refugees was the right decision," explained the Syrian refugee to ANSA.

He was the author of a famous selfie in 2015 with the Chancellor, which, at the time, caused a political clash and put the political survival of the government at risk. "That picture, taken by chance, became a symbol of Wilkommenskultur", the welcoming culture, comments Anas, who now lives in Berlin where he works as a journalist.

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Anas was 18 when he took the famous selfie with Angela Merkel

Many protested and said that it was precisely due to the selfie with migrants, which went viral on the internet, that there was the effect of galvanizing people, pushing thousands of people to travel to reach Germany.

Anas was 18 when he took that picture: "I did not know who she was, I saw a lot of police and understood she had to be someone important. So I said to myself, I must take a selfie with this woman."

And he did, during a visit of Chancellor Merkel at the refugee center where he was staying in Berlin, on 10 September 2015.

Anas had fled from his country, a trip that took him over one month, with a dangerous crossing by boat, landing in Greece, followed by the adventures across the route, followed by thousands of people, until he reached Berlin.

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Four months ago, I met again with the former Chancellor: "She was proud"

"I believe that overall the outcome was positive," replies Anas when asked if the integration of millions of migrants who arrived in the Federal Republic can be defined as successful. Angela Merkel accepted immediately to meet with him when he asked to see her four months ago: "I received her email address from a colleague journalist. Her office replied to me rapidly and two days later we met," he recounts.

"We spoke for a long time, and she offered me coffee. I told her what I did in the last ten years: that I learned German, obtained a passport, and earned my University degree. I explained to her that I had worked a lot. And that now I was a journalist and I live together with my Ukrainian girlfriend."

And what did she say? "She smiled. She said she was proud of these results. And she was very happy to learn that many Syrians made it. I told her about friends and acquaintances who became doctors, engineers, and nurses."

When asked about the current, conservative German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who decided among other things to strengthen border controls and to suspend family reunification for asylum seekers with subsidiary protection for two years, a measure which Merkel had strongly wanted, Anas does not expose himself too much: "It's clear that things have changed a great deal. The many attacks have made the atmosphere more difficult and have raised the consent for ultra-right-wing parties. I believe that border controls are right, because no one wants criminals to arrive. At the same time, however, Germany must remain open and shelter those fleeing from countries at war."

Do you think you will return one day to Syria? For the moment, it is not one of his projects: "I love Berlin, now this is my home," he says.

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