Tsipras Urges to Resolve Syria, Lybia Conflicts to End Refugee Crisis

Wars and conflicts are the main causes of the ongoing refugee crisis, so the efforts to resolve the crises and tackle extremists in Syria and Libya have to be redoubled, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said.

ATHENS (Sputnik) – Tsipras said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday, that the migration flows this year were not comparable to those recorded in previous years, adding that the vast majority of people arriving to Europe were fleeing wars and conflicts.

"The UN and the international community must redouble their efforts in resolving the conflicts in Syria and Libya and to deal with jihadism. Diplomatic decisions, which would involve all main regional actors, are needed. And we need those decisions to lay the foundation for national reconciliation," the Greek prime minister said, as quoted by his website.

Europe is currently struggling with the largest migrant crisis since World War II, as thousands of refugees flee conflict-torn Middle Eastern and North African countries, trying to reach refuge in the European Union.

According to the European Commission, over 500,000 undocumented migrants have arrived in the bloc since the beginning of 2015.

Greece has been at the forefront of the migrant crisis in Europe. Tens of thousands of migrants and refugees have been arriving to Greek coasts in an attempt to travel deeper into the European Union.