Whoever enters Greece illegally and does not receive asylum must be returned to the country they came from
“The summit meeting that begins shortly has on its agenda a series of exceptionally crucial issues for the European Union,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a doorstep statement as he arrived for a European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
“Let me begin by welcoming the fact that the UN Secretary-General will be present today at noon and on this occasion I would like to express my satisfaction with the results of the five-party conference in Geneva. Cyprus and Greece fought and succeeded in keeping alive the process of discussions on the reunification of the island within the framework of the decisions of the UN, its Security Council. And I consider it extremely positive that the Secretary-General chose to appoint a personal envoy, so that this process can be kept alive, to continue with specific deliverables in view of the next meeting which will take place in the summer,” stressed the prime minister.
Mitsotakis next referred to the issues of European defence and migration: “I also want to focus in particular on the issues concerning European defence, to welcome the submission by the European Commission of the white paper, which includes fixed Greek positions, which will now become EU policies.
“I am referring in particular to the possibility of giving budgetary flexibility to member states, so that they can increase their investments in defence, as well as the creation of a common European fund, amounting to 150 billion euros, to finance investments in defence, which will promote European strategic autonomy and essentially limit these expenditures to countries that are either members of the EU or have concluded strategic partnership agreements with the Union. It is another important step for European strategic autonomy and a fixed position of Greece, which is now being vindicated.
“Finally, we will have the opportunity to discuss immigration issues, where again I want to express my satisfaction with the fact that the proposed returns regulation is drafted in line with the established Greek positions, which give priority not only to the external security of the EU borders but also to a rapid process for returning those who have not been granted asylum in an EU country to the countries from which they have come. Hence, we await, with great impatience I would say, the new list of safe countries of origin so that our country can also move more quickly in this direction, and the clear directive that I have given to the new leadership of the Ministry of Immigration is precisely based on the logic that anyone who enters our country illegally and has not been granted asylum, i.e. does not enjoy international protection, should be returned to the country from which they came. And it is now very important to have European regulatory tools that will make it easier for us to implement this policy.”
Also read: Search for missing persons after Cape Greco boat tragedy ongoing
Photo source: Reuters
Source: ANA-MPA
