Foreign Affairs

Austrian-Born Chancellor Calls For New ‘Axis’ Against Immigration

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for a new “axis” with other European countries to combat illegal migration, Wednesday.

Kurz, 31, a conservative, pressed for Italy, Germany and Austria to join together and form an “axis” against illegal migration in Europe, Politico reported. Kurz met with Horst Seehofer, the conservative German interior minister, about tightening borders to combat the rise of illegal migration.

“In our view, we need an ‘axis of the willing’ in the fight against illegal migration,” Kurz told reporters following his meeting with Seehofer, according to Deutsche Welle. “I am happy about the good cooperation that we want to develop between Rome, Vienna and Berlin. I think it marks very sensible cooperation that will contribute to reducing illegal migration to Europe.”

“We shouldn’t wait until we have a catastrophe, like in 2015,” Kurz added in reference to German Chancellor Angela Merkel opening Germany’s border to take in refugees.

“From my point of view, it would be ideal to secure the external borders of the European Union,” Seehofer noted. “I promised Chancellor Kurz that on the question of strengthening the external borders he has my full support as interior minister.”

As a result of his meeting with the politician, Seehofer skipped Merkel’s “integration summit” in Berlin. Seehofer told reporters that it was a result of being compared to a Nazi by journalist Neha Atman due to his anti-migrant views.