Lavrov urges Europe to resolve migrant crisis by eradicating its causes

GENEVA, March 1 /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for working out a comprehensive approach, involving U.N. structures and the International Migration Organization, for resolving the migrant crisis in Europe. "A migrant crisis that has swept Europe has become another pernicious consequence of the forced remodeling of the Middle East and Northern Africa. It is being aggravated by the absence of a clear and united stance of the European Union," Lavrov said in a speech at a high-segment session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday. "Some members [of the European Union] are promoting their liberal migrant policy thus stimulating new [migration] waves into Europe; instead of the promised comfortable life, these desperate people get into new troubles; they are subject to inhumane and sometimes violent treatment. We are watching that daily, including on television," the Russian foreign minister said. "The problem will not lend itself to solution by such methods. It is clear we can hardly rely on the European Union. The more so that the migrant crisis is affecting many countries, which are not EU members but are experiencing the negative consequences of actions or inaction of its member countries," Lavrov went on to say. "I believe it would be expedient to attract the United Nations structures as well as the International Migration Organization to working out a comprehensive approach," the Russian foreign minister stressed. "The most important thing is to consistently eradicate the causes of the current migrant and refugee crisis. That implies the earliest settlement of conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen as well as stabilization of the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and certainly a fair solution to the Palestinian problem," Lavrov said. Read more