UK PM urges global cooperation to combat irregular migration

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday urged the international community to cooperate in eliminating irregular migration and dismantling migrant smuggling gangs.

This appeal was made during a two-day meeting on combating irregular migration, hosted in London and attended by representatives from 40 countries.

In his opening remarks at the summit, Starmer emphasised that human trafficking networks can only be eradicated through collective efforts. He stated that these networks exploit institutional gaps and create discord between nations.

Starmer argued that resources and intelligence must be shared and that governments need to address the issue upstream at every stage of the people-smuggling routes.

The summit includes representatives from countries of origin of migrants, such as Vietnam and Iraq, as well as transit countries, including the Balkans. It also features the head of the Border Force, responsible for border control operations in the UK, alongside representatives from INTERPOL, Europol, and Afripol.

The meeting takes place as the European Union considers establishing migrant centres outside its borders to expedite the expulsion of irregular migrants.

Participants are examining the equipment, infrastructure, and forged documents used by human trafficking networks to facilitate illegal migration. Discussions also focus on how these networks operate and aim to reach a global consensus on combating the online attraction of migrants.

By RSS/QNA