The communication channels with Ankara are working, which is why the recent incident in Imia was quickly defused, the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy Christos Stylianidis emphasizes in his interview with “Kathimerini”.

The cooperation with the Turkish authorities to deal with immigration is ongoing, he underlines, saying at the same time that there are no joint patrols and there are not going to be any.

Mr. Stylianidis characterizes the decision to participate in the mission in the Red Sea imperative, since Greece wants an international role.

It also refers to the green transition of shipping, but also to the effort to provide incentives for the return of young people to the maritime profession.

In detail, the interview of the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Christos Stylianidis

An incident was recorded in Imia a few days ago. How do you rate it?

The result shows that the incident was minor. The communication channels worked and in a short time everything was normalized. We continue to maintain a climate of de-escalation, which in my view at this time of geopolitical instability throughout the region is in the interest of both countries. We deal with these minor events while simultaneously protecting the Greek borders.

Can we say that it was a test of the functioning of the channels?

The channels operate 24 hours a day. We are in constant contact, especially after my visit to Ankara. Migration flows have often been managed very effectively because of this constant exchange of information and constant communication. In Ankara, it was decided that an informal cooperation that existed until now should become much more systematic and take on the character of a joint response to challenges. To stop moving in parallel, non-convergent, immigration processes. We will try, as much as possible in a sea with difficult weather conditions, such as the Aegean, to be effective in the field, exchanging information. I want to dispel any impression created by press reports about alleged joint patrols. Such a thing was never discussed and I believe it is not even right to talk about joint patrols. Joint response means many other things, but not joint patrols. What was raised in Ankara was correct and accepted by the Turkish side. That is, in addition to the role of the Coast Guard and the Turkish Coast Guard, there should be communication between the two Chiefs if necessary. The Chief of the Military Gendarmerie in Ankara was also present and it was agreed that we should have results before the traffickers put the boats into the sea. At the beginning of March we will have a meeting with the regional commanders of the two coast guards in order to make an operational assessment of the first period and to see how we will improve practically and at the local level.

For immigration, there is bilateral cooperation as well as the European framework.

In our meetings in Athens and Ankara with the Minister of the Interior, Ali Gerlikaya, we were not asked the issue of revising the EU-Turkey joint statement of 2016. I would say, in the form of a political analysis, the Turkish side seeks, for their own reasons, to create a model of Greek-Turkish cooperation in immigration. Because it sends a message to the partners in the E.U. that Turkey is a reliable partner in migration. They want by all means to stop being a “transit” country to Europe. What was confirmed in Ankara and is confirmed every day in the field is that managing immigration in a new way will lead to common benefits (win-win). Immigrant flows to our country are decreasing, the pressure on the accommodation structures is decreasing and Greece will no longer be a “transit” country either.

Are they not interested in Europe sharing the economic burden?

They would like to, but for now they are not putting it in the discussion on the management of migration flows between Greece and Turkey or in the triangle with Bulgaria.
Does the weather also play a role? As the weather improves towards spring is it likely that flows will increase again?
Exactly the opposite. Traffickers are hit by 7-8 Beauforts, as the margins of reaction of the Authorities are reduced, at a time when they themselves are completely indifferent to human life. In such circumstances there is always the risk of not being able to save human lives. And we are interested above all in the protection of human life. Our big problem is bad weather. I am bringing you an update from the Chief of the L.S. now. Last Sunday we had only 3 incidents in Chios and 2 in Lesbos. And he confirmed to me that in good weather the circuits do not operate because there is full operational readiness on both sides. When we had 7-8 Beaufort we reached Lesbos one day even 280 people.

As Commissioner you visited various parts of the world, mainly in Africa. How can the migration phenomenon be managed at its root?

Migration is a timeless phenomenon. Every man seeks to go somewhere where he can live better. From areas of crisis, wars and poverty, people want to move. I don’t see it as easy to limit migration from conflict areas. The question is how you will deal with the causes of the conflicts. In Africa there are conflicts due to the devastating consequences of the climate crisis, such as prolonged drought and water scarcity. The big challenge, therefore, for Europe and beyond is Africa. I had tabled as a European Commissioner a proposal for a new EU-Africa partnership. The purpose was to address the causes of migration to Africa. We have seen by evaluating both humanitarian aid and development aid that they have not worked. We need to revisit the nexus of humanitarian and development aid and how we can increase jobs on the African continent. It must be done in a systematic way and with a focus on the development of the agricultural sector in Africa.

Tension in the Red Sea is a threat to Shipping. How is the situation developing?

This is a global issue. The situation in the Red Sea is exacerbating already existing inflationary pressures. Greece is a leading country in shipping, first in Europe. So the Prime Minister decided that Greece should participate in the “Prosperity Guardian” operation and in the “SHIELDS” of the EU. I would call it “Venizel credibility”. The great leader of Hellenism knew that to have a role in the international game you must be reliable in the moment of crisis. If you are absent, you are absent from everything. And from the benefits.

There are also issues hot in your portfolio, such as the green transition.

Greece has a superweapon: its shipping and its people. This is a huge amount of know-how. I want to make a personal statement about this. I have experience in various positions in Cyprus, then in the EU, as Commissioner. The first time I felt so powerful in the negotiation was as the Minister of Shipping of Greece. Greece counts everywhere, in all forums related to Shipping. That is why we managed to get Greece elected in first place in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), despite the difficult geopolitical conditions and the different trends that existed. Because of our role, the European Commission also realized that the E.U. to cooperate systematically with the IMO on green transition issues, otherwise European shipping risks being sidelined. We, as the leading shipping company of the E.U. we hold the European flag high. And we can become the “bridge” between the E.U. and IMO. We are in a good phase in the negotiation with the EU, in order to create new financial tools, to support European and Greek shipping on the way to the green transition. Without European support, things are difficult. There is a very good cooperation with the Deputy Minister of Finance, Nikos Papathanasis who manages the Recovery Fund. Confirmation of this very positive development is expected in the coming days. Funding from European funds for the construction of new green and hybrid ships for coastal shipping is accepted. The Prime Minister had made a wise statement. He said we need to be radical about green goals but also realistic. Otherwise there is a chance that we will all be exposed and, above all, injure ourselves as European shipping. As we speak, serious research and scientific studies are being done on green transition fuels. Critical parameters have not been specified, so the infrastructure is not yet ready. We have launched an initiative at the European level on how to keep European Shipping at the forefront. Stop the North-South divide in Shipping. There we will seek to upgrade Shipping within the European institutions. I have embarked on a tour of Europe for this reason.

Why does the maritime profession no longer attract Greeks?

It is a global problem. It is estimated by expert estimates that international shipping will require around 800,000 personnel for the next few years. The protagonist Greece with such a turnover and number of Greek-owned ships, you realize how many are needed. Regardless of whether we move on to (Semi)Autonomous Ships at some point. At all costs, we must make the maritime profession attractive again in Greece. New incentives are needed. We have designated 2024 as the year of naval education. Above all, we want the Greek flag to be strengthened so that, at the same time, jobs are created for Greek sailors. The young sailors who attend the Naval Academies now come from Macedonia and Epirus and not the islands. It shows that on the islands young people have professional solutions. It is a personal goal for me to upgrade maritime education.

What is the plan for upgrading the aging port infrastructure?

The decade of crisis left many things behind. We’re running now. We have found satisfactory European funding. We start in small ports, on islands. It takes time and a lot of money to go to new port infrastructures that will serve coastal shipping and yachting. I make no promises of miracles. But we have already started and that is positive. I think we should think about Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in some ports. There is also a thought to transfer the model of airports with slots to ports as well. It’s not an easy goal, but it will help improve security.