The need to have a European strategy for immigration issues, which will distribute, through the principle of solidarity, the burdens equally among the member states, was underlined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis, in his statements after his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, who is visiting Athens, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Greece, reminded Mr. Gerapetritisdue to its geographical location, is on the front line and bears a disproportionate burden.

He pointed out that the migratory and refugee flows are not going to stop, as there are always conditions that favor the mobility of populations, whether it concerns armed conflicts in various regions of the world, such as today in the Sahel and the Middle East, or because there is a situation of social inequality. , which lead people in search of better fortune.

“Greece has a specific policy based on border surveillance, the creation of humane structures for those coming to Greece and the desired and necessary solidarity of the EU as a country of first reception,” he said and added:

“We have achieved a lot. Unaccompanied minors should be under absolute protection, immigration flows should be controlled, but no country alone can face this issue.”

As he pointed out, it is “first and foremost a matter of organized European policy, which must be based on three fields”:

– The surveillance of the European borders in such a way that the scourge linked to the exploitation of human beings by traffickers can be combated.

– To adequately ensure that returns will be made where appropriate, where there is no question of humanitarian protection.

“Unfortunately, the 2016 EU-Turkey Joint Statement has not produced the results we expected,” he noted.

-And to ensure that there will be legal immigration routes.

“Greece, like other countries in Europe, we need workers, so making sure we have legal and controlled passages weakens traffickers and illegal circuits and highlights the need to have a controlled central European strategy on the issue of immigration” , he said characteristically.

Furthermore, the foreign minister referred to the EU’s strategic autonomy and underlined that “it is in our interest to become more competitive globally and to be able to counter emerging protectionist tendencies”.

“Greece, like Luxembourg, believes in the vision of the Union, the consolidation of lasting peace in a continent that has lived for centuries the tragedy of war,” he said and added:

“War has returned to our continent. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a revisionist action that constitutes a flagrant violation of International Law. We hope for the speedy end of the armed conflict and the full restoration of its territorial integrity.”

He also noted that Greece supports Ukraine in many ways, while considering how it could make a decisive contribution to addressing the food crisis, which worsened after Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Albania’s stance on Beleri deviates from the European acquis

“The enlargement of the EU, without a doubt, will contribute to the consolidation of stability in Europe but also in our own region”, he pointed out and emphasized that both countries support the European perspective of the Western Balkans, on the self-evident condition that the foreseen milestones will be respected and the conditions set by the European Council.

“We are 20 years after Thessaloniki”, he said. “In 2003 Greece was the urgent country so that it was emphatically recorded that the natural position of the Western Balkans is within the EU. It is a necessary condition so that a historically long-suffering region can enjoy the fruits of peace in a wider neighborhood of security and prosperity”.

“Twenty years later we repeat our same basic position”, he noted and recalled that the Greek Prime Minister convened a conference in Athens so that the leaders of the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine would be at the same table to discuss the steps to be taken must be undertaken so that there is the welcome development of the promotion of the accession processes.

“Each country has its own particular characteristics. We must respect these, as well as the terms and conditions that have been set by the EU institutions and in particular by the European Council and which concern respect for the EU’s fundamental rules. Among them, I primarily include respect for democracy and the rule of law.” .

As he mentioned, earlier today, he discussed with the deputy prime minister of North Macedonia issues related to enlargement, the issues that arise, while conveying “the fundamental position of our country that on principle we seek and encourage the integration of the countries of the Western Balkans into the European family”.

“However, respect for the rule of law also requires a practical attitude, which is demonstrated in everyday life and not only in the institutions”, he pointed out and emphasized:

“The case of the elected mayor of Heimarra, Freddy Beleris, constitutes a deviation from the European acquis, insofar as an elected mayor for the local self-government has not been able to assume his duties because he has not been allowed, as he could and should by policy will as an administrative act, to take an oath and assume his duties”.

“This, from the point of view of our country and from the point of view of international law, constitutes a clear violation of Mr. Beleris’ political rights, a violation of the presumption of innocence and the rule of law.”

“We wholeheartedly support the integration of the countries of the Western Balkans in principle, but respect for the principles of the EU, which to a large extent are also universal principles and concern democracy and the rule of law, must be demonstrated.”

European upgrade of civil protection mechanisms

As Mr. Gerapetritis mentioned, in the last few days, Greece is experiencing an unspeakable tragedy.

“This summer, we were hit by the effects of the climate crisis, first by the fires and then by the floods. But Europe is standing by us again”, he noted and thanked the EU and the member states for the help they provided us in dealing with the natural disasters caused by the climate crisis.

“Such phenomena will occur more and more often. The assessment of the scientific community is that no one is completely protected from the climate crisis anymore. That is why we must work both at the European level and in the framework of multilateral diplomacy to upgrade civil protection mechanisms”, he emphasized.

“Greece, as a Mediterranean country, exposed to climate change, puts the climate crisis and security in absolute priority. For this reason, it is one of the six pillars of her candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2024-2025. I take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the candidacy of Greece as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

Finally, referring to Greece’s relations with Luxembourg, he pointed out that as members of the EU and NATO, we share common perceptions and values.

“Our thinking converges on many points regarding the future of Europe. We need a greener Europe. In the energy diversification and autonomy of the EU, Greece can contribute significantly, as an energy hub in SE Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean”, he pointed out.

Finally, he emphasized that during the meeting they discussed the expansion of bilateral cooperation, and it was emphasized that there is considerable room to develop the relations between our two countries in many fields.

Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Message to Turkey to respect the fundamental rules of the rule of law and human rights

For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, expressed his support for the difficult times that Greece is going through with the big fires and floods and underlined that he has great respect for the firefighters who made superhuman efforts.

The same phenomenon, as he pointed out, we see in Libya with hundreds if not thousands of dead.

As he pointed out, during the meeting with Mr Gerapetritis they discussed the recent meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara and stressed that this effort to reach out is “extremely important for the whole EU, bilateral relations and for there to be calm in Aegean”.

“But it is also a message that we must send to the Turks that – in my opinion – no progress will be made if Turkey does not respect the fundamental rules of the rule of law and human rights,” he noted. “I don’t believe we can get to a situation where we can talk about enlargement again with regard to Turkey.”

Referring to the enlargement, he pointed out that “the Balkans are the garden of Europe, they are neither of Saudi Arabia, nor of Russia, nor of Turkey, nor of China”.

“We must encourage the Balkan countries to do everything possible if they wish to become EU member states. Each country has different challenges to solve. Their future, for the youth I say, is within the EU. So they should do everything to become members. Because now we are 20 years after Thessaloniki”.

He noted that each country in the Balkans has its own issues and underlined the hope that the issue in the relations between Albania and Greece will soon be overcome.

Regarding North Macedonia, he pointed out that since a nomenclature solution was found “we can say that it is going in the right direction and we can accept that there is a beginning of negotiations”.

“The message I can give is that – 20 years after Thessaloniki – we are always willing in the EU to accept these countries. It is our duty but also a big challenge”.

He noted that major issues such as immigration and the climate crisis require joint solutions.

Specifically, with regard to immigration, he pointed out that in 2015 when Luxembourg held the EU presidency, it was close to a solution. Unfortunately, 4-5 countries destroyed the climate of solidarity.

“We absolutely must have a European migration policy based on solidarity and responsibility, otherwise the Schengen agreement, which is a great achievement for the EU, will collapse.”

He added that the agreement of the interior ministers that was reached in June will give us an impetus to go in the right direction.

“We must move forward together as Europeans,” he stressed.

He also mentioned that there is a flow from Turkey in this period, as “there is a policy that encourages the departure of many Syrians”, recalling that Turkey has received 4 million people from Syria and Iraq in the last 10 years.

“There are people who wish to leave Turkey who are pushed by Turkey to leave.”

He also mentioned that in Luxembourg in the last year we have several hundreds of young people, even children, who appear and ask for international status, with the aim of achieving this special status and being able to bring their parents.

“Europe must think and find ways of legal immigration. Since this is missing, these things are happening, while Dublin is no longer working.”