Mitsotakis: A fair migration policy does not mean non-existent borders, but rules

“A fair migration policy does not mean open or non-existent borders, but rules. And we observed these rules in 2020 against the instrumentalization of the refugee crisis,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, among others, speaking on Monday at an event on “European Solutions to the Common Challenge of Migration” in the presence of Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and ambassadors of EU countries.

The prime minister, who earlier met with the European Commissioner, pointed out that a European solution to the migration problem is needed.

 He emphasized that the management of the problem will judge the credibility of the EU, adding that it must be proven in practice whether the EU knows how to translate its declarations into an effective policy.

He emphasized that guarding its borders is non-negotiable for Greece.

“An opponent of the state is anyone who is illegal,” Mitsotakis said adding that illegal migrant flows in 2023 were much smaller than in previous years and the government managed the problem much better than other European countries. He pointed out that our country is often an intermediate station and the final goal of migrants is to go to the countries of northern Europe, stressing Greece’s role in guarding the eastern land and sea European borders.