In an extensive statement, the German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Fesser, appeared “deeply shocked” by the wreck of Pylos and, among other things, stated: “We should not be numb to this fact, but we should continue to work persistently to create legal migration routes, as well as for the conclusion of migration agreements that respect human rights and the rule of law”.

The German Minister of the Interior emphasizes in her post on Twitter that “the business model of traffickers who transport people through dangerous routes to Europe should be destroyed”. For her, it is now clear that we must “continue to support the EU member states that are in the Mediterranean and to accept with solidarity people who have been rescued at sea. That is why it is very important that we have now agreed on a permanent solidarity mechanism between the EU states”.

The German government does not specify whether it will accept refugees

In response to a question from journalist Giorgos Pappas regarding possible European responsibilities for the shipwreck in Pylos at today’s government briefing in Berlin, the deputy representative of the chancellery, after expressing his deep sorrow for the dead, his condolences to the families of the victims, but also the concern for the missing persons, referred to last night’s statements by the chancellor emphasizing the development of the “common European asylum system”. According to Nancy Fezer’s statements, the German Ministry of the Interior referred again.

For his part, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the causes of the shipwreck have not yet been clarified, “what exactly happened and what possibilities naturally existed to avoid this shipwreck”, underlining that among other things it is a matter for the competent Greek authorities “in cooperation with the European Border Protection Service”.

As to whether Germany offered help to Greece within the framework of the solidarity mechanism in force until now, and in particular whether it is going to undertake the reception of some of the shipwrecked refugees, the representative of the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the German authorities are in contact with the Greek authorities and that “the German offer of aid is valid in principle. In this particular case, however, we really have to wait to see how the situation will develop.”