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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-09
CONTENTS
[01] German Chancellor Merkel: Western Balkan border shutdowns "is not
a solution" to migrant flows
[01] German Chancellor Merkel: Western Balkan border shutdowns "is not
a solution" to migrant flows
German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the shutdown of borders
along the Western Balkan route yesterday, in a campaign speech in the
Rhineland-Palatinate state where she took a differing stance from that
of European Council President Donald Tusk, who had earlier welcomed
the shutdowns in his tweeter statements.
Earlier in the day, Tusk had sent two messages through Twitter, "I thank
Western Balkan countries for implementing part of EU's comprehensive
strategy to deal with migration crisis," and "Irregular flows of migrants
along Western Balkans route have come to an end. Not a question of
unilateral actions but common EU28 decision."
In comments reproduced by the e-edition of Der Tagesspiegel newspaper,
Merkel commented that the measures Balkan countries take will not be
viable without support by a larger plan to the migrant crisis coming
from the European Union.
Closing the borders "is not a solution to the overall issue," she said,
adding that fewer migrants may be requesting asylum in Germany but this
meant the proliferation of refugees trapped in Greece. "The 27 countries
cannot rest on their laurels and let a country deal with the problem by
itself," she said, referring to the EU block and Greece, respectively,
adding that the solution required a balanced European plan.
In statements published on the internet page of central Germany's radio
(MDR info), Merkel stated that a solution should be helpful to all 28 EU
member-states, while the redistribution of refugees among EU countries
is not a decision of the Turkish government, but must involve the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Responding to Tusk's tweets, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that
"the Balkan route shut down because of unilateral acts by countries of
the Western Balkans," and underlined that "we expect Tusk, as president
of EU28, to focus his efforts on the implementation of joint decisions,
rather than encouraging those who scorn them."
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