Scottish First Minister Urges UK to Take in Refugees Under EU Relocation Plan

LONDON (Sputnik) — The United Kingdom should take in refugees from the Middle East and North Africa under the EU relocation plan, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

Last week, the European Parliament approved a mandatory quota system to relocate 120,000 refugees among EU member states proposed by the European Commission. The EU interior ministers will meet on Tuesday to make a final decision on the issue, as they failed to reach an agreement during their previous meeting.

"We cannot ignore those in need on our doorstep and I believe the United Kingdom should opt in to the extended EU-wide relocation scheme announced by the EU President [Jean-Claude Juncker] recently," Sturgeon told journalists on Monday after a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

The first minister emphasized that Scotland would take in "a fair share" of refugees.

Earlier in September, UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees into the United Kingdom. The prime minister noted that London would prefer those from camps in Syria’s neighbouring countries, namely Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, rather than refugees who have arrived in Europe.

According to the European Commission, some 500,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in the European Union since the beginning of 2015.