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Migration flows to Europe pose global threat, says Russian Defense Ministry

According to General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces, the international community needed to pool its efforts within the United Nations to eliminate the root causes for migration

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Migration flows from Africa and Middle Eastern countries to Europe are a global problem, Spokesman for the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces (GRU) Major General Sergei Kovalev said at the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday.

"Given the growing threat of terrorism and other threats, large-scale migration flows from Africa and the Middle East to Europe are a serious issue not even at the European level, but globally," he said.

Kovalev pointed out that only a comprehensive solution to the issue would be effective. According to him, the international community needed to pool its efforts within the United Nations to eliminate the root causes for migration. In particular, there was a need to focus on "ensuring security and providing decent living conditions to the African people in their home countries."

The Eighth Moscow Conference on International Security is taking place on April 23-25. It agenda includes the most pressing global security issues. The event’s participants are discussing military threats, ways to improve the arms control system, as well as the situations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The conference involves 35 defense ministers and more than 1,000 experts from over 100 countries.

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