Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Discusses Migration with MSF International President

On Monday 4 October 2021, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, met with the International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr Christos Christou, and the Director General of the Luxembourg section of MSF, Roger Martínez Dolz, in the Grand Duchy on the occasion of MSF's 50th anniversary.

Minister Jean Asselborn, MSF International President Dr Christos Christou and MSF Luxembourg Director General Roger Martínez Dolz discussed the current context in Afghanistan, particularly the situation of health establishments which are in a situation of imminent collapse. Luxembourg pledged to take in Afghan refugees (within its means) and to engage on this subject at the European level ahead of the high-level resettlement forum devoted to the situation in Afghanistan, which will take place on Thursday 7 October 2021.

Dr Christou commented: “We have conveyed the message well: the European Union must play a very important role on Afghanistan these days. And not just how to relocate people who are going to be leaving. We have enormous humanitarian needs that must be addressed. The EU must address humanitarian needs as a matter of priority. At the top of the European agenda is security and should be humanity. This is the change we are asking for as MSF”.

The MSF International President also mentioned the lack of safe and legal routes to leave Libya. This lack of alternatives pushes extremely vulnerable people to continue to rely on criminal networks to organise their passage, again and again. They are constantly exposed to violence and abuse. Dr Christou added: “I think our role as MSF in Luxembourg these days is to engage more, not only with society, but also with the Luxembourg state”.

The second part of the meeting addressed the challenges of refugee hotspots, focusing on the situation in the Samos camp in Greece, as well as the many obstacles in MSF's search and rescue activities in the Mediterranean.

Dr Christos Christou is visiting Luxembourg this week as part of the international medical humanitarian association's 50th anniversary celebrations. On Thursday, the last day of his visit, he will meet with Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Franz Fayot. Discussions will focus on the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility, access humanitarian aid in conflict zones such as the Sahel, Nigeria and Mozambique, as well as climate change.