Speech by the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Mr. Notis Mitarachi, at the "First International Migration Review Forum (IMRF)" in New York
Για τις διεθνείς προκλήσεις που απορρέουν από την διαχείριση του μεταναστευτικού και τις προτεραιότητες που έθεσε η ελληνική κυβέρνηση προκειμένου να επιτύχει τους στόχους της, μίλησε ο Υπουργός Μετανάστευσης και Ασύλου, στο πλαίσιο του "First International Migration Review Forum" , which was held in New York.
Responding to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s criticism of alleged migrant pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, Mr. Mitarachi argued that:
"“our strategy safeguards human lives as evident by the sharp decline in the last few years in the number of fatalities in the Aegean Sea. Greece is actively protecting human life. It is critical that we focus on such positive developments, avoiding misinformation which is disseminated for political purposes”..
He then added that:
"Migration should not be used for geopolitical gains, instrumentalizing human suffering, as it happened on several occasions in Europe, in the last few years. On the contrary, managing borders requires bilateral and regional collaboration and agreements. Like the 2016 EU/Turkey Joint statement, which Turkey fails to implement. It puts human lives at risk each and every day in the Aegean Sea and in the land borders. While I recall that Turkey has opted out from providing protection to all refugees in accordance with the Geneva Convention"
The Minister of Migration and Asylum pointed out that "Greece is committed to support safe, orderly, and regular migration. By supporting EU policy policy and legislation on legal migration. By ensuring migrants in Greece have access to the social welfare state, education, and healthcare, including free vaccination against Covid-19. By giving top priority to the protection of unaccompanied minors.”
Ακολούθως, ο κ. Μηταράκης υπογράμμισε ότι “Greece has done more than its fair share for many years. European Union must take further joint action proving a Common European Protection space”. Finally, referring to the smuggling networks and the protection of the EU's external borders, Mr. Mitarachi stressed that:
"We are working to eradicate human trafficking, to protect the external borders of the European Union, in line with international law and European acquis”.
"We cannot allow smugglers to decide who comes and lives in Europe. Especially as Europe does not neighbor with warzones, other than Ukraine but, in our case, with countries members of the European Union, NATO and the Council of Europe”, he concluded.
