Message that any accusation and censure directed against him Coast Guard is not accepted, sent from the Mytilene headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy, the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy Miltiadis Varvitsiotis during his visit today to Mytilini.

In his statements to the local media immediately after his visit to the Central Port Authority of Mytilini and the vessels he inspected in the port of the city and which are operating on the sea border, Mr. Varvitsiotis conveyed the thanks of the government and the Greek people to the officials of the Coast Guard for the work they do. Because, as he said, “they have managed to make our country a country that protects its borders, protects human life at sea and of course imposes its sovereignty in its territorial waters. These are things that may seem simple but are often disputed and we will stand by the officers of the Coast Guard to prove that any accusation and censure they receive does not correspond to reality.”

And Mr. Varvitsiotis continued: “Having served in the past in the Ministry of Shipping, I have unlimited respect for the manner and professionalism with which Coast Guard officers perform their duties. At the same time, our own orders are to observe the letter and substance of the law in all cases. And of course to continue doing their work with the sense of responsibility that they possess. Finally, I want to say that today the Coast Guard has evolved with new means, much better than in the past and we will continue to equip the Coast Guard so that the men and women who serve in it have all the latest equipment at their disposal. of technology and to do their work even better”.

Mr. Varvitsiotis was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Insular Policy Ioannis Pappas, the General Secretary of Shipping and Ports Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, the General Secretary of the Aegean and Insular Policy Manolis Koutoulakis and the Chief of the Coast Guard-Hellenic Coast Guard, Vice Admiral L.S. George Alexandraki.

The visits of the new minister were followed by an extended meeting with authorities and bodies of Lesbos and the North Aegean at the building of the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy.

During the meeting, the Minister emphasized that strengthening the island policy is a bet for the government. “Insularity is our national policy” he underlined and added that the government is determined to support our islands, both himself as Minister and the Prime Minister. He cited as an example the fact that the Ministry has been strengthened with additional responsibilities, such as that for port projects. He also pledged that among his goals is insularity to acquire a European identity.

The meeting was attended by, among others, the Regional Governor of North Aegean Kostas Moutzouris, the Mayor of Mytilene Stratis Kytelis, the Mayor of Western Lesvos Taxiarchis Verros, the Mayor of Lemnos Dimitris Marinakis and representatives of the productive entities of the region.

During his visit to Mytilini, Mr. Varvitsiotis also participated in the first working teleconference between European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and the Ministers of Shipping and Islands Policy, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Immigration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairides.