By Penelope Galliou

At a time when the developments in the Middle East are putting the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean on the highest alert, with the risk of increasing migration flows to our country now visible, the Prime Minister is moving today to Evros, where he will tour the prefecture and also present an overall plan for the reconstruction of the region, emphasizing at the same time the immigration issue affecting the region.

In Orestiada, and during the event entitled “National Strategy for Regional and Local Development – We discuss, decide and move forward together for Evros”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to present the reconstruction program of the prefecture, with a horizon in 2027.

However, at the critical juncture that our wider neighborhood is going through due to the Arab-Israeli war and the key role of Greece as a country of entry and reception of immigrants, during the visit of the prime minister, emphasis is also expected to be placed on the extension of the fence on the border line with Turkey, to avoid uncontrolled refugee flows.

Regarding the fence on the Evros recently, Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out that “this barrier does not only protect the Greek borders, it protects the European borders and must receive European funding”.

In fact, he emphasized that “in any case, we will build it with either European or national funds, but it is fair that the burden of guarding the border should be shared fairly».

Already, in fact, based on the developments, and until all the required policies involving both Turkey regarding the land borders of the Evros and the South-East Aegean, and the European Union for the protection of the European borders, are launched, the Greek side and the authorities have been put on red alert.

This also emerged after the KYSEA meeting, where according to information our country is preparing for all eventualities. In addition to the alarm, which has been set by all competent and involved authorities with the flows of immigrants, it was also deemed crucial, based on the latest developments, to speed up all the projects that were being launched in order to reach the actual capacity of the immigrant structures to 100%, in order to be able, if necessary, to accommodate more immigrants who may be in our country.

The role of Turkey

Immigration, after all, recently occupied the two leaders of Greece and Turkey, during their meeting in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where the refugee issue was put at the center and as an immediate priority, among the outstanding issues that exist in bilateral relations .

And although during the said summit between Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Erdoğan, it was agreed to intensify the cooperation in the immigration field in the next period, in order to dismantle the traffickers’ networks that put human lives at risk, the specific commitments on the part of Turkey are still missing. .

Consequently, the very conditions as they are shaping up in the wider Eastern Mediterranean make a comprehensive review and update of the 2016 EU-Turkey joint statement, which is now considered out of step with real conditions, increasingly imperative.

The Minister of Immigration and Asylum Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in an interview, estimated that “in the field of immigration, both countries have something to gain if they develop a closer cooperation. The results of this closer cooperation have already been seen in Evros. In a period where overall trends are increasing, in the Evros the flows appear reduced” noting also the role of the tripartite cooperation between Greece – Turkey – Bulgaria.

The South Aegean can be a “crack” for migrant flows and according to government sources, there should be intensified cooperation at the operational and staff level of Greece and Turkey in order to target the traffickers’ circuits directly. However, the lights also fall on Crete, where the arrivals of immigrants are greater this year than last year and, consequently, greater guarding and surveillance is needed.

The position of the Europeans

From the Greek side, emphasis is placed on the need to strengthen European support for dealing with refugees, with an increase in available resources, and it is expected that the issue will be a key priority on the agenda of the upcoming meetings of the European Council.

In any case, on October 10, the Council of Internal Affairs will be held in Brussels, where the current developments are expected to be put on the table and the partners will be invited to find joint solutions with the aim of putting a “brake” on the arrivals of migrants at the European borders.