PRESS RELEASE

---

Millions More Refugees Will Come, If There Is No Economic Development

March 3, 2016 (EIRNS)—Returning from his tour of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, German Development Minister Gerd Müller told Evangelischer Pressedienst (EPD) March 1 that it is high time for the world community to increase investments in the crisis-ridden developing sector countries. Particularly for the North African countries, an economic partnership of an entirely new dimension is required, he said,

"to strengthen the Mediterranean states in our immediate neighborhood ... and thereby stabilize them in their present situation of transformation."

"If we don’t do this, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions will come to us in the next years," Müller warned, continuing that, whereas the ongoing discussion in Germany focusses on the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, "there are beyond that, of course, conflict and crisis hotspots affecting us in the medium term. I think of Ukraine, which we should not forget, or of states such as South Sudan or the Central African Republic." It is also necessary to provide assistance to stabilize these countries.

His own ministry, Müller explained, has tripled its support programs for refugees in the past two years, spending €1 billion now.

"€1 billion is a lot—if Europe would increase this sum to 10—€10 billion, which I consider necessary, we could offer hundreds of thousands a perspective onsite [in their home countries],"

Mueller said.

"We are training refugee children and youth, and building schools. We are building infrastructure in northern Iraq.... And we are rebuilding villages together with the refugees, so that the people can return to their home region."