A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was held at the migration and asylum ministry on Wednesday, after which the prime minister referred to the ministry policy priorities, relating to the tackling of illegal migration and organising legal migration routes.
The prime minister said the figures for the start of the current year were encouraging, showing that arrivals of migrants were decreased by 36%. He also spoke of the completion of work on existing and new migrant facilities on the islands of the eastern Aegean, stressing that Greece in comparison with other European countries possesses the necessary facilities, which are financed by the European Union and must be completed within the deadlines set by Europe.
“The government’s commitment is to also take the lead in the European dialogue that is taking place on the regulation for returns. The national policy that is also becoming a European policy is simple: if someone arrives in our country and is entitled to asylum, we welcome them and it is our pleasure if they choose to remain and live in our country, but if someone enters illegally, they should know that we will do everything in our power to return them to their country of origin. This is a discussion that is also taking place at a European level and the new regulation on returns that is currently being formulated, I believe, will give us the tools that will complement national legislation, so that we can implement this policy,” the prime minister pointed out.
Immigration and Asylum Minister Makis Voridis, who had met the prime minister upon his arrival, stressed that the ministry’s priorities in the coming period are linked to tackling illegal immigration and organising legal immigration “in a rational, effective but strict manner,” bringing immigrants to cover the necessary jobs while knowing “how many they are, who they are, that they are the ones we want, and they come for the specific job, respecting our internal procedures, our internal rules and our legislation”. Voridis also said that a series of issues related to challenges faced by the ministry, as well as issues related to arrivals of unaccompanied minors, were raised during the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Deputy Migration and Asylum Minister Sevi Voloudaki, as well as other government officials.
