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Poland ready to pay for refugee aid outside EU

Xinhua, November 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Poland is ready to cover costs involved in helping refugees outside the European Union (EU) -- in Lebanon or Jordan, Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Tuesday, referring to a Monday declaration in this respect by the regional Visegrad Group.

"We have about 10 million euros (about 10.6 million U.S. dollars) within the Foreign Ministry's operations and our contribution is also envisaged in the EU-Turkey agreement, in excess of 50 million euros over four years," Blaszczak told Polish private radio RMF FM.

"In yesterday's declaration we agreed to create a mechanism to support refugees where they are refugees, i.e. in Lebanon, in Jordan. It involves funds, but also material support offered in a different way," Blaszczak said.

According to Blaszczak, the Visegrad Group speaks "with one voice, in solidarity" on ways to manage the migrant crisis.

Blaszczak reiterated that Poland's present government reversed the previous government's decision to accept a quota of migrants to be allocated as part of an EU-wide program, stopping a potential disruption in regional solidarity.

The Visegrad Group, which is composed of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, on Monday adopted a declaration in which it opposes the EU's obligatory migrant allocation mechanisms. Endit