Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday issued a sarcastic retort to European calls for Morocco to halt migration into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, suggesting the EU should instead provide migrants with luxury hotels, health insurance and citizenship. Zakharova's remarks target European officials' demands for border enforcement.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday responded with sarcasm to European statements on the migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Quoting a European official identified as 'März' who called for preventing illegal entry into Europe, Zakharova countered that the EU should instead house migrants in luxury hotels, provide health insurance, pay for interpreters and airtime on European media, and grant citizenship to all.
The Ceuta crisis has seen tens of thousands of migrants cross from Morocco into the Spanish territory. The Zioneer has reported on the crisis, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's description of the situation as 'unacceptable' and her call to dismantle smuggling networks. Spanish authorities have reported that over 25,000 migrants have since returned to Morocco voluntarily.
Russian officials have routinely used European migration crises to criticize EU policy while presenting Russia as an alternative voice on human rights and sovereignty.
- StrongVon der Leyen: EU will not admit migrants who fail to comply with entry rules
- DevelopingSpanish resident of Ceuta says she is scared, calls migrant influx 'an invasion'
- DevelopingEl País: Spanish government assesses Morocco directly assisted Ceuta migrant wave
- DevelopingSpanish PM Sánchez: 'This is not the time to divide' amid EU criticism over Ceuta crisis
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Open-source intake