Mitsotakis: Greece protects its borders with respect for rights

“Greece protects its borders with full respect for fundamental human rights,” the prime minister said. Kyriakos Mitsotakisduring his appeal to the Plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Responding to the MEP of the political group of the Greens, in the Netherlands, Strick Tinekewhich questioned whether the rights of asylum seekers trying to enter Europe from Greece are being flagrantly violated, the Greek Prime Minister answered:

“It is the right of every European member state to protect its borders with full respect for fundamental rights. This is exactly what Greece has been doing for the last three years and it is doing it successfully, both in terms of protecting the borders and in dealing with the networks of smugglers who take advantage of the desperation of weak people.

Concerning re-promotionsthe Greek prime minister called on MEPs to think more about “pushforwards”, instead of “pushbacks”, recalling that the EU-Turkey statement asks Turkey to cooperate in managing migration flows in the Aegean.

“When a ship with 100 or 200 people leaves the Turkish shores, we should be naive to believe that this is done without the knowledge of the Turkish authorities,” said the prime minister, recalling that in March 2020 Turkey used immigration as a tool and tried to push dozens thousands of desperate people on the Greek border.

“The exact same practice was used by Lukashenko,” the Prime Minister emphasized, saying:

“When looking at these sensitive issues, let’s not repeat the Turkish propaganda, as if Turkey has no role in what is happening and the Greeks are the ones who behave inhumanely when it comes to protecting basic human rights.”

At the same time, Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the “independent” anti-corruption body in Greece, which is investigating allegations of kickbacks, while admitting that some allegations are indeed worrying and should be investigated further.

As for the immigrant reception centersMr. Mitstotakis emphasized that there is no comparison with the reception centers of the former “leftist” government.

“Take the example of the centers in Samos, or Chios. You will find reception centers that were funded by the EU and have nothing to do with the shame of Moria which was the creation of the leftist and ‘very sensitive’ human rights previous government,” the Prime Minister said.

In conclusion, the prime minister referred to the eleven-year-old boy from Iran, Kokiro, whom he welcomed to his office yesterday. He said that this young man arrived in Lesvos in 2019, went to a Greek school, learned Greek, took entrance exams at a Greek university and excelled. “This is how the current government examines and handles the integration of people who arrive on European shores and have the right to join European society”, emphasized K. Mitsotakis.

For her part, the Dutch MEP of the Greens, Tineke Strick, emphasized that Greece should be able to count on the EU, but the EU should also count on Greece in order to have the rule of law, freedom of the press and non-discrimination.

He spoke of “a Europe that respects human rights, human dignity and the right to seek asylum”, while he questioned whether the rights of asylum seekers trying to enter Europe from Greece are being violated. “They are being held in Turkish territorial waters and on land and in fact the same migrants are being used to repel other migrants,” the Green MEP said, saying “Is this Europe?”

At the same time, Mrs. Tineke Strik accused Greece of closing reception centers and forcing migrants to live in “hotspots” and a legal vacuum, which is used as a pretext that migrants from Syria or Afghanistan can return to Turkey .

“Those who help them are restricted and criminalized. Those who raise their voices and the media are famous,” said the Green MEP. He said, finally, that “it is not a solution, it is not a European response to close the borders and push back the immigrants and show off the shield of Europe”.

RES-EMP

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