N. Mitarakis: Responsibility of Turkey to prevent illegal departures of immigrants

The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Mr. Notis Mitarakis, participated today in the Informal Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs and Immigration, which took place in Lille, France.

A key issue on the Council’s agenda was the negotiations on a new European Immigration and Asylum Pact.

During his speech, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, welcomed the initiatives of the French Presidency and stressed that Greece and the first host countries MED5, are committed to work constructively, so that the negotiations can move forward and overcome a stalemate. thorny issues.

Immediately after the end of the work of the Council, Mr. Mitarakis made the following statement:

“Negotiations on the new Immigration and Asylum Pact continue. Greece’s positions are clear. First, we must protect our external borders, especially when the effort to exploit immigration by the neighboring country continues. The statements of the Turkish leadership were unacceptable for the tragic incident in which people lost their lives in Turkey, while trying to cross the European border. It is Turkey’s responsibility to prevent illegal departures. The second important thing for Greece is solidarity. “The new Pact must share the burden of the migration crisis in all EU countries. Greece’s two positions are strong and so we continue to negotiate.”