The so-called Balkan migration route has been the focus of attention at a mini summit in Vienna of leaders from affected countries. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern welcomed head of states form Germany,Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia as well as the European Council President Donald Tusk.
The Leaders’ and Institution Heads’ will to find a “solution” was clear right from the beginning.
We need to confirm politically & in practice that the Western Balkan route of irregular migration is closed for good https://t.co/Aa5sdQRy2C
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) September 24, 2016
Angela Merkel called for rejected asylum-seekers to return to home countries.
Speaking to reporters in Vienna, she said it was incumbent upon EU leaders to “stop illegal immigration while living up to our humanitarian responsibilities.”
In order to achieve this, Merkel said, “it is necessary to get agreements with third countries, especially in Africa but also Pakistan and Afghanistan… so that it becomes clear that those with no right to stay in Europe can go back to their home countries.
“Hungarian PM Viktor Orban proposed that Europe should set up what he called a “gigantic refugee city” on the coast of Libya where asylum requests from African refugees could be processed.
Also present was Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has pleaded for more solidarity towards his country where the route’s closure has blocked tens of thousands of migrants and refugees.
Austria and Slovenia have called for greater cooperation to reinforce the EU’s external borders and reduce illegal immigration.
Overall numbers have fallen partly due to a deal between the EU and Turkey which has agreed to prevent people from leaving its shores – but the future of the accord is in doubt.
Last week EU leaders agreed to reinforce Bulgaria’s border with Turkey and intensify security cooperation.” (euronews)
PS am I right in my impression that the leaders keep reiterating the same position at each and every summit on Migration?
Similarly to what is happening with austerity policies, it would behoove us to separate communication exercises from policy decisions when it comes to the refugee crisis. From the very beginning, the main actors have been engaged in a PR campaign to burnish their tarnished image and pump up their liberal credentials even as in reality they have quietly put in place policies and bureaucratic roadblocks that have made it almost impossible for the refugees they claim to be rescuing from ever reaching their destination. Even as they embrace “refugees” as an abstract entity, almost all (if not all) of the G20 countries that claim to be protecting them are in fact treating the real refugees (the actual people not the abstract concept of the “refugee”) as someone else’s problem. If you look at the actual numbers, almost 90% of refugees are hosted by Middle Eastern, African and South Asian countries while in Europe the majority of them have landed in the one country that is the hardest hit by the austerity crisis – Greece. But that hasn’t stopped our Northern neighbors from clamoring on every news channel that they are the ones helping the refugees.
Yes, you are correct. They are engaging in lies and propaganda, while actually kow-towing to the extreme right demands to keep all foreigners out. As of June 2016, 68% of the world’s displaced persons are in the Middle East and Africa, 14% in Asia, 12% in the Americas, and only 6% in Europe. This is after the influx of one million refugees into Greece over the last year. Basically, Europe has become an arrogant and isolated continent, determined to suck money out of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, prepared to engage in wars for oil and other valuable natural resources while doing nothing to assist the millions of refugees created by European greed. Basically, we are sinking to the same sort of degraded inhuman level as the Nazis: anyone who thought that the horrors of the past are finished is deluded.
There was a time when the solution was possible..it was called “Grexit” maybe it’s still a possibility..get rid of the yoke that’s strangling Greece, called the EU and it’s corrupt un-elected policy makers who at the end of the day will most likely use the rhetoric voiced by their USA commanders..”blame it on Russia..specially on Putin”
Regardless of the value – or not – of Grexit to the economic welfare of Greece, it will not help with the refugee crisis. if Greece was to leave the EU, then you can be a thousand time sure that the refugees would stay in Greece and Europe would close its borders north of Greece.
Now sitting at the same table and in the same toilet with that same bastards that last year closed Greek border against EU-member Greece and even didn’t dare to inform Athens that Greece is not invited?
Why is this allegedly Greek website ridiculously referencing ancient Paeonia as “Macedonia”?
Yawn. Why is this alleged person wasting our time with alleged thoughts about allegedly trivial issues?