Egyptian President calls for EU funding to combat migration and terrorism

Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said on Tuesday that EU investment in migrant home and transit countries can help curb illegal migration.

Meeting with EU migration chief Dimitris Avramopoulos in Cairo, Sisi said EU investment can help eliminate the economic reasons pushing many young people to migrate from their home countries.

He also highlighted the importance of economic development as a comprehensive strategy in combating terrorism.

EU leaders agreed on 23 April to triple the funding for the bloc’s search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean, in a bid to curb the soaring number of migrants dying after hundreds of men, women and children drowned in the Mediterranean’s worst migrant disaster last month.

Sisi went on to stress the significance of international cooperation and coordination as means to combat terrorism in the region, specifically in Libya, warning that the deterioration of the security situation in Libya could have a wider impact on the whole Mediterranean.

He also commended the EU for its success in building a model for regional, political and economic cooperation, calling for further cooperation between Egypt and the EU.

Meanwhile, Alaa Youssef, spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency, announced in a statement that the meeting also discussed possible joint projects aimed at curbing migration.

Source:Middle East Eye