Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis makes joint statements with the Austrian Chancellor, as part of his visit to the Central European country.

Watch video of the statements:

The prime minister thanked the chancellor for the meeting which confirms the good relations between the two countries.

Referring to the migration issue, Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his gratitude for the fact that Austria stood by Greece in March 2020 when it faced a wave of migration.

Dealing with immigration and guarding the borders has become a commonplace for Europe. Greece has taken many steps in this direction, the prime minister said.

“The message is clear. It is not possible for the wretched traffickers to determine who enters the EU. And this must be a priority for all European states.”

Asked about Germany’s decisions on immigration, the Austrian Chancellor said “I as the Austrian Foreign Minister had little understanding from my German counterpart on illegal immigration. What Germany is deciding now is not new for us. After we decided on the Migration and Asylum Pact to implement it quickly, i.e. immediate application at the external borders, very fast push-backs so that these people are not attracted from the EU.”

“I try to see in a positive way that developments in Germany will lead us to a more effective border policy,” he added.

Responding to the issue, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said “I agree with the Chancellor on the implementation of the Migration Pact. A country like Greece cannot shoulder a disproportionately large burden simply because of its geographical specificity. Greece already spends resources on border guarding and is supported by Europe with significant resources for management and this support should continue. For a country to have reception centers on the islands is an expensive process and Europe should finance this process because we are carrying out a European mission and not a national mission.”

At the same time, the prime minister mentioned that the two leaders discussed the Western Balkans whose integration they support, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis however pointing out that “every ghost of the Western Balkans hurts the European idea. No deductions from the observance of specific agreements are understood.”

Regarding the Draghi report, I expressed my belief that there are common European goods such as defense or energy grid interconnectivity and we need to think outside the box to see how these goods can be financed with European funds, he added the prime minister.

Asked about this, Mr. Mitsotakis stated that the Draghi report is a bold text. “We all agree that Europe should support its innovation. defense issues have been of great concern to us and Europe must invest in its defense as a whole. Greece belongs to the country that never benefited from the peace dividend after the fall of the Wall because it always spent on its defense” concluded the prime minister.