Closing borders will not solve Europe’s refugee crisis, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday.
“The solution…does not lie with closing borders,” Steinmeier told reporters in response to a question about a suggestion by Germany’s transport minister that Germany should prepare to shut is borders.
Steinmeier added that it was essential to address the conflict in Syria, as well as working with Syria’s neighbours to manage the refugee flow, while also setting up “hot spots” in Greece and Italy to handle those arriving in Europe.