“Irregular immigration is a common challenge that we are all facing and this phenomenon can only be fought if we work together in this community and with countries bordering the main migratory routes.”
This was the main message of Prime Minister Robert Abela during the Summit of the European Political Community that was held in Budapest in Hungary, whose aim is to spur an important and effective dialogue between the 27 member states of -European Union and other countries located on the European continent.
While during this summit security in Europe was prominently discussed in relation to the latest developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, the election result in the United States, the conflicts in Africa and the -global economy with an emphasis on energy, transport and IT, importance was also given to the topic of irregular immigration.
Here the Prime Minister Robert Abela delivered a strong message about the realities facing countries like Malta and thus the importance of fighting this challenge with a strong political will from everyone.
“This is a complex phenomenon and there is no single solution. Therefore we want a number of measures and initiatives from different agencies and partners that must also be supported by strong funding. Half-hearted measures will not be enough.”
It was here that the Prime Minister proposed a number of measures against irregular immigration including better communication with prospective immigrants about the risks of the dangerous journeys they make, cooperation and investment in important countries such as Libya and support to the criminal rings linked to human trafficking are broken.
“We want to show that we have control and we want to make it clear that we do not accept human traffickers who determine who enters our country”, claimed the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abela reacted to the election result in the United States as Donald Trump was elected President. While again congratulating the president-elect, Dr. Abela claimed that Europe is ready to continue strengthening its relationship with the United States while together with it reaching common goals.
“I agree with my colleagues that for now we should let the situation calm down as things will continue to clear up in the time to come. Unity and cooperation will be the key to the way forward. We must resist the temptation to isolate ourselves because then we have more to lose. We were in this same position before, and thus we should look at the experience we have and learn from it”, concluded the Prime Minister.
Photographs (OPM-DOI)
