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Io. Plakiotakis: Greece protects its borders, with respect for international law and with priority in human life

“The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, gave the right answer. Greece is protecting its borders, which are also the borders of the European Union, with determination, but also respect for international law and with priority in human life,” he said this morning, speaking to ET-1 TV, the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Giannis Plakiotakis, was invited to comment on yesterday’s allegations of the Dutch journalist for repatriations of immigrants (pushbacks).

“We respect the journalistic function, however the questions must be based on facts and not offend a country and a people”, Mr. Plakiotakis stressed, adding that “Greece will continue to protect its borders, as it should do or like to some or not “and in fact” to Turkey, which behaves not as a state but as a pirate “.

The Minister of Shipping stated that “the Coast Guard at the border prevents the entry of illegal immigrants but also protects human life at sea, at the same time that the Turkish Coast Guard escorts the migrants’ boats to the border trying to recruit migrants, using to meet its geopolitical and geostrategic aspirations “.

He also noted that traffickers send people without lifebuoys to boats that can not stand, with the tolerance of Turkey.

Mr. Plakiotakis pointed out that in the last year and a half the Coast Guard has managed more than 1,500 incidents and if one excludes the unfortunate incident that took place a few days ago, when four of our fellow human beings lost their lives, there was no other loss of life. “This alone shows the role of the Coast Guard and how much we respect human rights,” he said.

The Minister also stressed that the joint EU-Turkey statement has been in force since 2016, stating that once the Greek LS locates a boat coming to Greek territorial waters, it automatically informs the Turkish Coast Guard, which is obliged to -based on the joint statement- to come and pick up the boat with the immigrants. “For a year and a half now, the Turkish Coast Guard has not responded to the constant appeals of the Greek Coast Guard,” he noted.

The Minister of Shipping pointed out that “the international community and the European Union must press Turkey to comply with its international obligations.

Finally, he claimed that even yesterday, when bad weather conditions prevailed with 8 Beaufort winds, traffickers again tried to escort migrant boats to the border. Therefore, he underlined, “Turkey is the one that does not respect human life, at the same time that Greece, literally, saves human lives”.

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Source From: Capital

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