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Germany Calls for Swift Implementation of NATO's Refugee Protection Plan

© AFP 2023 / THIERRY CHARLIER German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen talks to journalists prior to the start of an European Union Defence Ministers' meeting at the EU Council in Brussels on November 17, 2015
German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen talks to journalists prior to the start of an European Union Defence Ministers' meeting at the EU Council in Brussels on November 17, 2015 - Sputnik International
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German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen urged on Thursday to swiftly begin the implementation of NATO's plan on the protection of refugees in the Aegean Sea.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gestures during a news conference ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting, which will be held on February 10-11, at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 9, 2016. - Sputnik International
NATO to Provide Support With Refugee Crisis in Europe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, NATO agreed to provide support in assisting with the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe in response to a joint request from Germany, Greece, and Turkey, as well as to tackle smuggling.

"The aim must be to complicate or even [make] impossible the treacherous business of illegal migrant smuggling. It is critical that we now act quickly," the Tagesschau news service quoted the minister as saying.

Currently, European countries are struggling to find a solution to the massive migrant crisis it is facing as millions of individuals seek asylum there. Over 1.8 million illegal border crossings were detected by the EU border agency Frontex in 2015.

Turkey serves as a major route for migrants fleeing crisis-torn countries in the Middle East to enter Europe via Greece before continuing through the Balkans to wealthier European countries, such as Germany.

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