We have to stabilize the region to solve refugee crisis: Dutch MEP

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Dutch Member of the European Parliament, Rob Roos (JA21), told Kurdistan 24 that the situation should be stabilize in the region in order to solve the refugee and migrant crisis.

Roos, who is the Vice Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a centre-right political group, said the crisis is not all about refugees. “A lot of people coming from the Middle East and coming from Africa are people who are seeking a better life and I don't blame them. I would probably do the same if I was one of them,” he said.

“But I blame our governments (for) not stopping this because it's just not doable anymore in Europe, especially my country, the Netherlands. We have so much people coming from other countries that we cannot facilitate it anymore. We don't have houses. It's really a terrible situation and the problem is that the real refugees are not able to come”

Furthermore, he said there are a lot of refugees in Turkey, which the EU is providing a lot of funds for. “It's not a healthy situation. Not for us, not for Turkey (...). We have to stabilize the region (...), but also the region itself has to stabilize it, because only if there is prosperity everywhere, people don't have to run anymore.”

He also accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of from time to time weaponizing the refugee crisis to blackmail the European Union by threatening to send refugees to Europe.

“This is not a healthy situation and we should we should work on a longtime solution and we try to try to get as fast as possible to get rid of this."

A renewed discussion in Europe on refugee and migrant policies comes amidst ongoing unrest in France and after a boat with hundreds of migrants and refugees capsized off Greece, killing at least 82 people.