Paris Mayor Says President Macron Assured Her of Support on Issue of Refugees

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron had assured her that he would provide all the necessary support concerning the issue of refugees.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Paris mayor also stressed the need to open new migrant reception centers in the country's major cities as well as to devote substantial resources to the integration of migrants and learning French.

"The president of the Republic assured me of his support on the issue of refugees. I have no reason not to trust the given word. All the more so as the strong commitment of the state is essential," Hidalgo said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper when asked if she agreed with the French government's migrant policy.

In recent years, European countries have faced the worst migration crisis since World War II, as hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa for more stable and wealthy EU member states, such as France.

According to the French Interior Ministry's July 11 press release, France received 85,726 asylum requests in 2016, an increase in comparison to 80,075 demands in 2015.

France’s Immigration and Integration Bureau (OFII) is offering migrants €2,500 each if they voluntarily return to their home country before the end of this year.