The European Union needs the support of the United States, Russia and the countries in the Middle East to help fight the causes of the influx of refugees seeking to enter the bloc, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.
Merkel told the German parliament that the refugee situation could only be tackled by addressing the causes of the exodus.
"That can only happen with the support of our transatlantic partners, the United States, as well as with Russia and the states of the region of the Middle East because of the dreadful situation in Syria," she said.
Merkel said an agreement reached by EU leaders overnight to pledge at least 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) for Syrian refugees in the Middle East was a first step, which had to be built upon.
"We must now use this signal of unity to make progress with detailed questions," she said.
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