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Austrian chancellor calls Refugee crisis on Mediterranean Sea pan-European issue

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann called on European nations on Monday to work together to solve the current refugee crisis on the Mediterranean Sea.

"One can not look away when the Mediterranean Sea is turning into a huge grave," Faymann said in a speech during a meeting of his Social Democratic Party.

He told journalists afterwards the problem could not be faced by Italy and Malta, who are geographically closest to it, alone, and added that it must be a pan-European effort.

In this day and age, technical possibilities should allow for an effective monitoring of the Mediterranean Sea, he said, and that "anyone who is in distress has the right to receive help."

He also called for solidarity amongst European states in ensuring an even distribution of refugee numbers, which in his opinion, some states "need to catch up." Endit