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Merkel: More needed to address migration causes

Published August 11,2017
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that while a lot has been done to address the causes of mass migration and to slow the flow of refugees to Europe, there is still a lot more to do.

Merkel famously opened Germany's doors to asylum-seekers in 2015. Some 890,000 migrants entered the country that year, many fleeing civil war in Syria.

The numbers have dropped significantly since then, in a large part due to a deal the European Union struck with Turkey to keep migrants there.

Speaking Friday with the heads of the United Nations' refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration, Merkel said she hoped a similar arrangement could be worked out with Libya, another key launching point for Europe-bound migrants.

She says Germany is willing to increase aid for migrant facilities in Libya and promoting the north African nation's stability, but acknowledges "there's a lot that lies ahead for us."