By Penelope Galliou

With reflection and preparedness, the Greek government monitors the visible danger that the war in Israel will trigger a new immigration wave that will affect the wider Mediterranean region and, by extension, our country. The new ignition in the Middle East it is almost certain to prompt thousands of people to flee their homes and countries, seeking safety away from the horrors of the war that has broken out. Government sources estimate that the new conflict between Israel and Hamas will have a great impact on both Greece and Cyprus, as it is estimated that it is very likely in the next period and as long as the war in the region continues, that the migration flows from Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. In this context, all the involved and competent agencies of our country are ready to deal with such a phenomenon, closely monitoring the developments and adjusting their planning as the case may be.

The risk of Greece coming under pressure again from potential immigration flows was also mentioned by Mr Prime Minister during his meeting at Maximos Palace with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaya Callas, characterizing immigration as a common challenge and a particular threat in the shadow of the new crisis in the Middle East. “Greece is a front-line country that hosts immigrants from war-torn areas and it is possible that it will face new pressures on its borders,” he said characteristically.

In his joint statements with the Estonian Prime Minister, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis made extensive reference to the events in the Middle East, stressing that as allies “we have a common attitude towards the international challenges and the dramatic events in the Middle East. Our governments condemn the bloody terrorist attack against Israel and the kidnapping and killing of civilians. At the same time we recognize Israel’s right to self-defense and seek the restoration of peace. These events undermine a just solution by violating the sovereignty of an independent state.”

The Greek prime minister also referred to the wider consequences of the new flare-up on the world map, noting that “they trigger tension in a wide arc of the world map with many and parallel consequences from the disruption of security and the global economy to the resurgence of migration. Our position is categorical. Borders cannot be breached and terrorist activity go unanswered. In such cases the same distances favor aggression and authoritarianism.”

Under these conditions and the pressure of the developments triggered by the new crisis in the Middle East and the war in Israel, the need for completion of the ongoing negotiations between Greece – Turkey – E.U. for the adaptation of the Euro-Turkish agreement on immigration, so that Turkey takes greater action in cracking down on traffickers’ rings and containing flows from its territories.

The promoted Greek-Turkish agreement, which is already the subject of negotiations and discussions, will come as a supplement to the Euro-Turkish agreement of 2016, as the relevant negotiations take place in agreement with the EU. According to the data so far, Turkey is called upon to limit migration flows from its own coasts, to crack down on the networks of traffickers operating on its territory and to accept more migrant returns from Greece and the EU in general.