Conference on Migration, Luxembourg: Countries hit by refugee crisis to be aided

Luxembourg, Luxembourg (9 October 2015) -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić and Minister of the Interior Raško Konjević participated in Luxembourg at a conference devoted to migration.

The main objective of the Conference was to strengthen co-operation between all the countries hit my the crisis of large inflow of migrants and refugees, mainly from Syria, and to set guidelines for further action in this area. The Conference placed a special emphasis on discussing a growing number of migrants who come from the Middle East to the EU through the Western Balkans.

It was noted that solidarity, good management, and joint action are key for further development of the migration and refugee crisis management system in the EU, Western Balkans, and Eastern Mediterranean.

The Conference adopted a Declaration recognising the EU's and its member-States' commitment to aiding the Western Balkans countries who have been hit by the migration crisis, including provision of humanitarian aid and construction of new reception and lodging capabilities.
The Declaration set out the activities aimed at better management and control of borders in order to ensure efficient registration of refugees and migrants, processing of asylum requests, and return of persons not entitled to international protection. The conference resulted in setting up guidelines for activity aimed at supporting Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, the countries that have thus far taken in as many as four million refugees from Syria.

Particularly important for Montenegro is the fact that the Declaration recognised the importance of MARRI invovlement in ensuring the objectives of the Declaration, as a unified initiative for the countries from the Western Balkans region, whose aim is to promote closer regional cooperation and a comprehensive, joint, and aligned approach to issues of asylum, migration, border control, and visa regime.

The Conference gathered foreign and interior ministers from the countries of the EU, Western Balkans, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, as well as representatives of UNHCR, IOM, and WFP. The meeting was chaired by High Representative of the European Union Federica Mogherini, and Luxembourg's Minister for Migration Jean Asselborn. The Conference was launched by Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.