"The world is currently being affected by the issue of migrants and refugees," Antonio Garrigues Walker told students of Economics, Leadership and Governance at the University of Navarra's School School of Economics.

"The topic of immigration and refugees have been decisive for Trump's victory," stressed the lawyer on a topic that has also been "core topic" for the Brexit in which the elderly and agricultural vote has mobilized the country towards the exit from the European Union.

Marine Le Pen's candidacy, Angela Merkel's government and Italian politics have also been affected by population movements, as the businessman explained in the masterclass moderated by the president of high school of credit Oficial, Pablo Zalba. "If Marine Le Pen did not have the refugee problem she would not have reached where she is", explained Garrigues who also predicted that "Merkel's decision to incorporate more than 1,200,000 refugees into her country will be paid for in the next elections". Likewise, the jurist described the arrival of refugees and immigrants to the Italian peninsula as a status of "major concern".

The former specialadvisor of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and current honorary president of Spain with UNHCR, called for the rights of refugees in the face of the Syrian war. "All human beings have the right to live in their own country. What happens when it is not possible, as in Syria?" he posed to the students in the face of a problem, which he stressed is "global" and not Syrian. "When you lose the right to live in your nation, you have to hand over another one: the right to live in some country," he questioned.

In this way, Garrigues recalled that "a refugee is not a migrant, since he or she has to leave his or her country by force. Spain and the world must assume that it is an obligation to welcome them". And, likewise, he stressed that most of them would return if they could. "If there was a agreement between Russia and the United States to stop bombing Syria, 85% of them would return to their country". Therefore, the lawyer denounced that in Europe "we magnify the topic of immigrants with problems of terrorism or inequalities" when the refugees who want to enter represent "only 4% of the European population".

In view of the different geopolitical influences in the Syrian conflict, "Russia and the United States," warned the jurist, "will have to account for their serious responsibility in subject of international law" as the main powers. For its part, Europe "will have to worry about its own defense and recognize that politically it does not count for anything in this war," said Garrigues Walker.  

Mexican border wall to influence Spain

"Spain must send a message that it is with Mexico and Latin America," said Garrigues Walker in response to Trump's pressure on the wall on the border with Mexico. The jurist recalled that "we have a very important investment in Latin America", which he warned could be affected if the wall were to be completed.

However, "nobody wants to have the United States as an enemy"; despite the fact that having a good relationship with Trump is "something very complicated", acknowledged speaker. From Spain, infrastructure companies and military instructions located on the peninsula mark our main contribution to a country, which according to Garrigues, has technological power, which in the future will be "absolute power".