OSCE adopts role against illegal migration

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo yesterday raised the issue of illegal immigration in his address to the 13th annual session of the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Dr Frendo said that Malta is facing an "unprecedented problem as a consequence of the flow of illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean" and that the UNHCR has indicated Malta as currently the top country in the EU for the number of asylum seekers.

"We shall continue to protect genuine refugees as well as those entitled to humanitarian status", he stressed while reiterating Malta's determination to combat international organised crime of smuggling and trafficking in human beings.

This is a task for the international community as a whole, the Foreign Minister insisted. "The OSCE has a relevant role to play in combating this international phenomenon."

The OSCE 55 Participating States adopted a number of decisions including one on migration. Malta was actively engaged in ensuring the inclusion of a reference to the fight against illegal migration in this decision.

The decision established the principle that the OSCE has a role to play in combating this phenomenon through the OSCE's human, security and economic dimensions.

The decision also establishes the OSCE as a forum for dialogue between the participating states and the Mediterranean partners to address illegal migration and its root causes.