In Evros accompanied the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Mr. Notis Mitarakiswith Minister of Citizen Protection, Mr. Takis Theodorikakos, for the event of the signing of the fence extension contract.

As the Minister emphasized, and in his related post on social media, this is a project of the utmost importance that follows the decision of the KYSEA and will contribute to the protection of the Greek borders, as well as to the further management of immigration policy.

Shortly after his arrival in Alexandroupolis, Mr. Mitarakis granted an interview on the radio station Status Radio 94.2 FM, and the journalist Stavros Apostolidis.

The Minister presented the work carried out by the government of New Democracy in the field of immigration both nationwide and in Evros, noting that “during SYRIZA we had 1 million arrivals in 2015 in our country, in 2019 there were 72,000 arrivals, now arrivals have decreased by 90%. We had 121 structures in our country in 2019 with 92,000 residents and with miserable conditions. Today, of the 121 structures, only 34 remain. We have a total of 13,000 migrant asylum seekers and we have approximately 20,000 pending asylum applications. The police station has a capacity of 700 places in total, KYT and PROKEKA. We currently have 94 residents.”

At the same time, Mr. Mitarakis regarding the attitude of SYRIZA on the issue of the fence, he emphasized that “SYRIZA is fighting two issues in the European Parliament. Firstly, and with the Papadimoulis amendment, to block the funding of the fence from European funds, to which the Prime Minister has clearly replied that regardless of the source of funding, the project will be done. And let’s be honest here, financially, the amount of spending on the fence is perfectly manageable for the regular budget. For us it is also politically essential, Europe and the borders are also European. The reason why he should participate is also political.

“The second one, in which both SYRIZA and PASOK are fighting us, is the issue of fake news about the allegedly illegal re-promotions that our country is doing. We have the front of the smugglers on the one hand, but we also have an internal front of the opposition parties who want to see our country experience the open border policy of 2015-2019 again. So a very big stake of the May 21 elections is for the Greek citizens, the Greek men and women, the Hebrews, to say that we will never again accept the flows we experienced during the days of SYRIZA. With a clear support for the policy of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which proved to be more substantial in practice”, added the Minister.

Then, Mr. Mitarakis pointed out the fact that in the polls that are now taking place, immigration is now below tenth place, as it is an issue that does not concern the local community.

Regarding the position of the Vice President of the European Parliament and MEP of SYRIZA Mr. Dimitris Papadimoulis, Mr. Mitarakis noted that “At the level of the European Parliament, the amendment was voted by the MPs of the Left. Then, when the completed proposal is tabled, which is a multi-page proposal, it is voted on by all. This does not mean that they agree on the amendment. The amendment which is specific to Mr. Papadimoulis and has the wording which calls on the European Commission now and in the future not to finance. Where there are big questions as to whether this perception of the Commission is legitimate. There are questions as to whether fund regulations providing for border guarding can exclude the cost of building a fence. It is a question that I had discussed with Mr. Weber, the President of the European People’s Party, when he came to Athens. There is an assessment by lawyers that even today if Greece declares the construction of the fence, the regulations provide for it. It is a point that needs analysis. The important thing, however, and what the Hebrews should know, is that with the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the fence, and the phase we are signing today, will take place, and the rest of the expansion will take place. And this will now provide a great deal of security at the land borders of Greece and the European Union, solving an issue that has concerned us for decades.”

Finally, regarding the upcoming elections, Mr. Mitarakis, referring among other things to the effective management of the economy by the New Democracy, emphasized that “elections are not two-round elections. This belief is sometimes cultivated in some people deliberately to discourage people from voting for the major parties in the first election. One is the ballot box. This is the crucial election, May 21. I think that the difference of the New Democracy is clear both in the area of ​​the country’s armor, which here in Evros is particularly sensitive and important, and in the ability of the New Democracy to manage the economy. So Evritis will support Kyriakos Mitsotakis very strongly from the first round both for national reasons, immigration, protection of the country and for reasons of living standards. Especially in critical Greece, and I think people can very easily compare the period 2019-2023, with whatever bitterness they may have about specific things, with whatever disagreement they may have with very individual policies. The big picture of 2019-2023, in relation to 2015-2019 is absolutely clear.”