Latest news with #BorderSecuritySummit
Euronews
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Starmer blames lack of joint action for surge in migrant arrivals in UK by small boat
ADVERTISEMENT Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said a lack of coordination between the police and intelligence agencies is partly responsible for a surge in the number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats across the English Channel. At an international meeting on boosting border security and tackling people-smuggling, Starmer expressed frustration at the difficulty of stopping thousands of people a year risking the dangerous sea crossing from France. "We inherited this total fragmentation between our policing, our Border Force and our intelligence agencies," Starmer said, as officials from more than 40 countries met in London. "A fragmentation that made it crystal clear, when I looked at it, that there were gaps in our defence, an open invitation at our borders for the people smugglers to crack on." Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leads a roundtable discussion at the Border Security Summit in London, 31 March, 2025 AP Photo Starmer's centre-left Labour government, elected nine months ago, is grappling with an issue that vexed its Conservative predecessors. Despite law-enforcement cooperation with France and work with authorities in countries further along the route taken by migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, more than 6,600 migrants crossed the channel in the first three months of this year, the highest number on record. The opposition Conservatives say the figure shows Labour should not have scrapped the previous government's contentious plan to send asylum-seekers who arrive by boat on one-way trips to Rwanda. Starmer called the Rwanda plan, which was never implemented, a "gimmick" and cancelled it soon after he was elected in July. Britain paid Rwanda hundreds of millions of euros for the plan under a deal signed by the two countries in 2022, without any deportations taking place. Monday's meeting was addressed virtually by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right government has opened centres in Albania to hold some asylum-seekers while their claims are processed. A man thought to be a migrant who made the crossing from France disembarks after being picked up in the Channel by a British border force vessel, 13 August, 2021 AP Photo That project is being closely watched by Starmer's government. Meloni said the plan was "criticised at first," but had "gained increasing consensus, so much so that today, European Union is proposing to set up return hubs in third countries." The governments of Albania, Vietnam and Iraq, whose nationals account for a significant number of asylum-seekers in the UK, were also represented. Starmer, who has said organised people-smugglers should be treated in the same way as terror groups, has been criticised by refugee agencies and some Labour supporters for his hardline approach to irregular migration. But he said "there's nothing progressive or compassionate about turning a blind eye to this. Nothing progressive or compassionate about continuing that false hope which attracts people to make those journeys."
Rudaw Net
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kurdistan Region participates in UK's Border Security Summit
Also in World Kurdish nurse runs in Finnish local elections Trump says he wants to 'work it out with Iran' Paris-led summit addresses Middle East security, cooperation Kurdish Newroz celebrated for first time at Paris city hall A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed attended the Border Security Summit in London on Monday to discuss combating organized immigration crime, particularly human trafficking and illegal migration. 'At the official invitation of the UK Interior Ministry, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed has arrived in Britain to participate in the Border Security Summit, which brings together interior and justice ministers, along with senior Border Security officials from several countries,' read a statement from the Kurdistan Region's interior ministry. The UK is spearheading the international initiative, bringing together representatives from over 40 countries to discuss the security risks posed by human trafficking and people smuggling. The two-day event included representatives from the UK, Iraq, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, China, Bulgaria, and others. Addressing the summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for international collaboration to tackle people smuggling. He stressed that while individual countries must act decisively, the key to dismantling the smuggling networks lies in working together. "We can only smash these gangs, once and for all if we work together," Starmer said. On the sidelines of the summit, the KRG Interior Minister 'held a bilateral meeting' with the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. 'During the meeting, Ahmed relayed the gratitude of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the people [of the Kurdistan Region] for France's historic relations and continued state-level support for the Kurdish cause throughout different historical stages,' reported a statement from the Kurdistan Region's interior ministry. Ahmed additionally pointed to 'France's significant backing of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in confronting the terrorist [Islamic State] ISIS organization.' For his part, the French minister was quoted as 'reaffirming the French government and people's support for the Kurdistan Region.' He also highlighted 'the Region's vital role in the fight against ISIS, terrorism, and organized crime networks.' In addition to addressing the pressing issues of human trafficking and people smuggling, the summit underscored the need for global cooperation to dismantle criminal gangs. Participants emphasized the importance of sharing intelligence, resources, and best practices to tackle these security threats effectively.
Shafaq News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan's Interior Minister, French counterpart discuss Peshmerga support against ISIS
Shafaq News/ On Monday, Kurdish Interior Minister Rebar Khalid met with his French counterpart Gérald Darmanin on the sidelines of the Border Security Summit in the UK to discuss support for Peshmerga forces in countering Islamic State (ISIS), the Kurdish Ministry said in a statement. Khalid expressed the Region's gratitude to France for its historical ties and continued support, highlighting the importance of French assistance to Peshmerga forces in confronting ISIS, the statement added. Further, Darmanin reaffirmed France's commitment to supporting the Kurdistan Region, praising its role in combating ISIS, terrorist groups, and criminal networks. The UK hosted today an international summit on combating organized immigration crime, bringing together representatives from over 40 countries, including the United States, and France.
Iraqi News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Iraq: Committed to strengthening international cooperation in combating organized crime
INA - BAGHDAD Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shimmari affirmed on Monday that Iraq is committed to strengthening international cooperation in combating organized crime. The Interior Minister participated in the Border Security Summit, Combating Organized Crime in All Its Forms, and Combating Human Trafficking held in London under the patronage of the United Kingdom PM, said the Interior Minister's media office in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA. The summit was attended by interior ministers from 38 countries. Al-Shimmari, in his opening remarks, reviewed the measures taken by the Iraqi government to enhance border security and combat human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and organized crime, affirming "Iraq's commitment to developing its security laws and enhancing international cooperation in combating these crimes." He highlighted "the importance of coordination between countries to maintain border security and combat cross-border crimes." "Iraq attaches great importance to cooperation with international partners to confront the growing challenges posed by organized crime and human trafficking. This cooperation constitutes an essential part of Iraq's strategy to enhance internal security and contribute to regional and international security," he stressed.
