SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s refugee agency says borders must be “open to Syrians everywhere,” including in Europe, and that the world must do more to support Middle Eastern countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Antonio Guterres spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on the sidelines of a regional World Economic Forum conference.
Guterres says almost 15 million Iraqis and Syrians have been displaced, including close to 4 million Syrians who fled to neighboring countries.
He says the international community must do more to help refugee host countries as the “first line of defense for global collective security.”
Guterres says that “we cannot ask these countries to keep their borders open and to close other borders.” He says Europe must offer more avenues of legal migration to help share the burden.
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