SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Egypt’s chief on Tuesday criticized Europe’s dealing with of the migration disaster and its refusal to obtain refugees arriving at its borders, saying his personal nation has taken in tens of millions of people that left their dwelling international locations.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi mentioned Egypt hosts at the least 6 million individuals who fled battle and poverty at dwelling. He mentioned his authorities, in contrast to another international locations, doesn’t maintain migrants in refugee camps however permits them to reside freely locally.
For years, individuals fleeing warfare and poverty within the Center East have made harmful journeys throughout the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, in search of security and a greater life in Western Europe.
However after the arrival of greater than 1,000,000 individuals in 2015, European Union nations put up concrete and razor-wire partitions, put in drone surveillance and reduce offers with Turkey and Libya to maintain migrants away.
“I’m speaking about big numbers, not about 5 or ten thousand, (that) our buddies in Europe refuse to obtain,” el-Sissi mentioned.
Egypt has for many years been a refuge for sub-Saharan African migrants making an attempt to flee warfare or poverty. For some, Egypt is a vacation spot and a haven, the closest and best nation for them to enter. For others, it’s a level of transit earlier than trying the harmful Mediterranean crossing to Europe.
El-Sissi mentioned his authorities has lately tightened border safety and managed to forestall Egypt from changing into a departure level for migrants fleeing battle and poverty in Africa and the Center East.
“We didn’t enable individuals to make use of Egypt as a crossing level the place individuals cross into the unknown and face a really harsh future within the Mediterranean whereas migrating to Europe,” he mentioned.
El-Sissi’s feedback got here at a global youth convention, “World Youth Discussion board,” which the Egyptian authorities organizes within the Crimson Sea metropolis of Sharm el-Sheikh.
With restrictions and tight safety on Europe’s Mediterranean borders, a brand new path to the European Union has emerged via the forests and swamps of Jap Europe.
In latest months, individuals from Iraq, Syria and elsewhere have flown to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on vacationer visas after which traveled by automotive — many apparently aided by smugglers — to the border.
The three EU international locations that border Belarus — Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of performing to destabilize their societies.
Poland has denied entry to hundreds of migrants and refused to allow them to apply for asylum, violating worldwide human rights conventions. The nation has been criticized by human rights teams at dwelling and overseas.
