EU States Can Use International Humanitarian Law To Solve Migration Crisis - ICRC

International humanitarian law (IHL) could offer a solution to how EU countries address the issue of migration crisis, Dr. Cedric Cotter, a researcher at the Law and Policy Forum of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Sputnik on Wednesday on the sidelines of the "Migration and International Law" conference.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2018) International humanitarian law (IHL) could offer a solution to how EU countries address the issue of migration crisis, Dr. Cedric Cotter, a researcher at the Law and Policy Forum of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Sputnik on Wednesday on the sidelines of the "Migration and International Law" conference.

"What we would say ... to all states who say migration is a problem, or who are interested in migration, is to look within the spectrum of the IHL. They have to integrate the IHL in the reflection to address both the needs of migrants and the root causes [of migration]," Cotter said, in answer to a question on how EU member states can address the migration crisis.

Moreover, the EU member states can place pressure on countries afflicted by conflict, and share "good practices" in order to ensure that countries at war comply with international humanitarian law and thus prevent migration, the researcher underlined.

"EU countries have a lot of collaborations with many countries, like military training, so they could contribute in this respect or maybe share good practices.

It's very important the question of training, and they could put pressure on other countries because they are big economic partners, or even sponsors ... If you send weapons then ok, you can send the weapons, but you have to send the good practices as well," Cotter added.

Since 2015, Europe has been facing a migration crisis, with scores of refugees arriving from countries rife with conflict. Many of them are attempting to reach the continent via the Mediterranean Sea.

The fourth international conference dubbed "Migration and International Law," during which participants address the issue of migration from a legal, political and moral perspective, is held from Wednesday through Friday in Moscow. The event is organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), a non-profit think tank, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian Presidential academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).