BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2018) German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thanked Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou for acting to end uncontrolled migration to Europe, three years after a historic Malta summit on Africa.
"Id like to express my gratitude to Niger for successful cooperation on illegal migration," Merkel said Wednesday at a press briefing before the meeting outside of Berlin.
She admitted it was crucial that Europe helped Africa create more opportunities for education and economic growth.
"These efforts should go hand-in-hand: fighting illegal migration on one side and [creating] opportunities for people in affected regions," Merkel told reporters.
President Issoufou estimated that the influx of Africans to Europe had dropped since 2016 from 100,000 to 10,000 people a year as a result of agreements reached between EU and African nations at the November 2015 summit on migration in the Maltese capital of Valletta.
