Germany’s Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has declared that if Germany closes its borders Germans will degenerate through inbreeding.

Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has made it clear that he does not support a securing or closing of the borders of Germany for various reasons, including what he believes may be the downfall of the German people: inbreeding.

According to Mr. Schäuble mass migration is a great opportunity for Germans to become more diverse as a people, especially the mass migration of Muslims: “For us, Muslims in Germany are an enrichment of our openness and our diversity,” Tagesspiegel reports.

The comments come as the German government is looking for a new approach to the migrant crisis. Mr. Schäuble said Wednesday that there needs to be a shift in European policy toward Africa and the Arab world.

“Africa will be our problem, we have to assume this task,” he said likely in response to the new waves of migrants crossing into Italy from northern Africa. Since May, Italy has overtaken Greece with new migrants coming to Europe primarily from western and northern Africa.

“We have, after 1990, begun to seriously deal with the fact that there is something else outside of the Western world,” Mr. Schäuble said, declaring that Europe can not longer ignore Africa or the Middle East.

The Finance Minister said he wants to see more investment in the Middle East and Africa in order to combat the flow of migrants who come to Europe for better economic prospects. “One thing is quite clear for the future: we must invest more in Iraq, Syria, Libya and then pay for more development in sub-Saharan Africa. Then maybe we will finally make a few openings in the market,” he said.

Answering critics like the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party who believe that migration must be kept more under control, Mr. Schäuble said that he rejected the ideas of closed borders. According to him, Europe must not close its borders to Africans or anyone else because Germans especially might end up as what he termed “inbreds.”

The comments echo those of the former leader of the Left Party Gregor Gysi who said in a pro-migrant video last year at the start of the migrant crisis: “Every year more native Germans die than are born. That is very fortunate. It’s because the Nazis are not very good at having offspring.”

Mr. Schäuble also criticised the G7 countries who he said have an obsession with growth and said they should consider the plight of emerging countries before their own. “Do we actually need so much growth? Let’s maybe promote the emerging economies of the south to become stronger. It does not suit many when I say that,” he admitted.