The situation with African migrants in Libya is extremely important for the European Union, the EU provides the necessary financial assistance to specialized organizations, Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
“We are aware of the problems that exist there… The EU is the main sponsor of organizations, including UN agencies that deal with migrant issues in Libya”, – said the EU representative.
According to him, the EU also funded the repatriation of African refugees from Libya who tried to enter the EU.
“We are doing everything we can, we are primarily talking about financial resources, since we do not work in Libya, but we support those who are engaged in this. We believe that the situation there is far from normal… Thanks to European funding, about 40 thousand refugees returned to the countries of residence”, – the head of the EU diplomatic service added.
At the same time, Borrell explained that not all migrants who are in Libya want to get to Europe, many came to this country to work.
“About 700 thousand migrants from Africa are in Libya, but not everyone wants to go to Europe. Most arrived there in search of work, but if the security situation in Libya becomes even worse, we cannot rule out a new influx of migrants”, – the representative of the EU said.
According to him, the problem of migrants in Libya can be solved by achieving at least a minimum level of political stability in this country.
The EU High Representative also said that the countries of the Union have not yet agreed on the conditions for the operation “Sofia” to curb the smuggling of weapons from Libya.
“We will do our best so that the operation, which is aimed at preventing arms smuggling, does not provoke concerns about migration”, – he added.
The Sofia Mission, using the naval forces of the EU countries, was created in 2015 to combat the smuggling of people and weapons in international waters off the coast of Libya.