German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged rational debates on migration amid increased border controls under the new government.
“Immigration was never easy,” Steinmeier said in Berlin on Friday during an event marking 50 years of the Intercultural Week, a nationwide initiative against racism.
“It is also not just a problem story. It is also always an important part of our country’s success story.”
He stressed that discussions on migration policy should involve “an honest position that says what we want and can do, as well as a consensus that we are and will remain a country with many backgrounds, religions and cultures.”
“Being German today also means equal rights for those with immigrant biographies,” the president added.
Steinmeier noted that around a quarter of Germany’s population, approximately 21 million people, have either migrated to the country or are children of migrants.
“We are more than a country with people with an immigrant background,” he said. “Germany is a country with an immigrant background.”
He emphasised that without immigration, Germany would undoubtedly be a poorer nation.
(dpa/NAN)
