Malta is pushing for increased cooperation between Europe and Africa in order to get to the roots of the problems feeding into illegal migration, Prime Minister Robert Abela told a migration summit in Tripoli on Wednesday. 

Abela was speaking at the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Libya, where he addressed a meeting between leaders as well as the forum itself.

“We cannot have an effective strategy for migration without the involvement of the countries of origin as well as the transitional countries, because clear and rational goals need to be set hand in hand with these countries,” Abela said. 

The ultimate goal of addressing unlawful migration, he continued, is to prevent migrants from leaving Africa in the first place. 

Abela distinguished between two types of migrants, those who escape their country due to conflict and those who migrate for economic reasons. 

Both these classes of migrants require specific solutions that target their country of origin as well as transitional and destination countries as well, he said. 

Photo: OPM

Border management is the most important goal to achieve in the immediate term, Abela said, but once this is achieved stakeholders must look elsewhere to implement solutions. 

The prime minister advocated for financial aid to be sent to migrants’ countries of origin so that they could create wealth and opportunities for their people. Europe in turn must ensure that it is getting value for money out of those investments. 

“Malta is a small country but we lead by example when we speak out against human trafficking,” Abela said, adding that he is not blind to the harsh realities surrounding migration. 

Photo: OPM

During the leaders’ meeting, Abela also called for increased cooperation from countries of origin so that their citizens who are found living illegally in Europe and who do not deserve asylum are deported. 

Such repatriations,m he said, are an integral part of border security aimed at combatting human trafficking.