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EU FMs meet to discuss better fight to end migration crisis

Xinhua, May 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

EU foreign affairs ministers met here on Monday to discuss the EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq, the threat of Daesh (the Islamic State), and migration.

Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said: "It is important to defeat Daesh to guarantee European security and, more importantly, to improve the life of Syrian people, to guarantee that political talks in Geneva restart and will have full success," referring to the UN-moderated attempt to broker peace talks between the Syrian government and its opposition.

"It is also important to keep Iraq in the picture as we see every single day that our work is not limited to Syria, but also on Iraq," she said.

The EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq, which was scheduled to be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, was adopted last March. The strategy outlined actions to be undertaken by the EU and its member states to help restore peace and security in Syria and Iraq.

During the meeting, Mogherini was scheduled to brief ministers on the EU Global Strategy that she was going to present in the coming weeks, intended to guide the EU's global actions in the coming years.

Michael Roth, minister of state at Germany's Federal Foreign Office, said upon his arrival the main topic of the meeting would be migration, and that officials would discuss how to better fight the causes of this crisis together.

"No refugee flees on their own will and we need to develop new strategies for the future," said Roth, adding that another important issue would be the EU's naval anti-human-smuggling mission.

Roth also expressed the willingness of support for the new Libyan government "in the path to more stability and statehood."

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in April reported 173,761 refugees and migrants had reached European soil by sea since the start of the year. Endit