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Russian politician blames U.S. for refugee crisis in Europe

Xinhua, September 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Russian politician on Wednesday criticized the United States and other NATO allies for causing the current refugee crisis in Europe by intervening in Iraq, Libya and Syria.

Sergey Naryshkin, head of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, made the accusation in a speech at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

The refugees are escaping their homeland to save themselves and their children from the bullets, bombardments and starvation, Naryshkin said.

They have the right not only to compassion, but also to a guarantee that domestic conflicts affecting their homes will be stopped, he said.

He asked the international community to work with the Syrian authorities in what he said the fight against terrorism. "Only in this way will we be able to stabilize the situation, including in Europe," he said.

Naryshkin also called for the restoration of partnership between Russia and the European Union and for the settlement of the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation.

Around 200 parliamentarians from 57 countries gathered in the Mongolian capital on Wednesday for the OSCE parliamentary assembly. Endi