UNITED NATIONS, April 18. /TASS/. The European Union is using force to prevent migrants from reaching its "blossoming garden," particularly migrants arriving from the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.
"The death rate of migrants trying to reach European shores by sea remains shockingly high. But those who succeed are not welcome at all. Suffice it to recall images of overcrowded refugee camps or hundreds of coffins on the Italian island of Lampedusa. We have repeatedly drawn attention to this catastrophic situation, but EU member states are unwilling to assume responsibility and take appropriate measures to ensure safe conditions for the arrival of migrants and refugees," he told the UN Security Council.
"The EU is still using forceful methods to prevent migrants from entering European countries. Just remember how desperately Poland fought off migrants in 2021, often literally shooting at people. Simply put, Europe has insulated itself in a "flowering garden" and does not want to see any strangers, especially those who come from the regions that it destroyed during its military undertakings or years of colonial and neocolonial exploitation, namely the Middle East and North Africa," the Russian diplomat continued.
He also pointed at the European Union’s double standards with regard to refugees from Ukraine and the Global South.
"The former are unconditionally provided with an extended social package, while the latter are required to fulfill a number of criteria for integration into the local community, proving, among other things, their language skills. At the same time, many Ukrainian refugees - and this created a wave of outrage on social media - rented out their real estate at home, then fled from mobilization to Europe, where they did not hurry to integrate into the local communities, however regularly received social assistance from the host countries," Nebenzya said.
"Of course, it is up for for European citizens to decide how the taxes they pay are going to be spent. But when talking about the role of young people and their potential, it is important to avoid hypocrisy and double standards, because the plight of young people in a number of Mediterranean countries is a consequence of the centuries-old policy of Western colonialism and recurrence of this phenomenon," he added.
According to the International Organization for Migration, a UN body in charge of migration issues, in 2023 alone more than 3,000 migrants from Asian or African countries died or went missing in the Mediterranean while trying to reach European countries.