Mitsotakis doesn’t rule out “migration pressure in Greece” as front-line country

Borders must not be violated and terrorist action must receive a reply, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in joint statements with his Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas in Athens on Tuesday. He did not rule out the possibility of migration pressures on Greece’s borders as it is a front-line country in the area.

Mitsotakis described immigration as a common challenge and a particular threat in the shadow of the new crisis in the Middle East.

“Greece is a front-line country that hosts immigrants from war-torn areas and it is possible that it will face new pressures on its borders,” he stressed adding that the new EU pact on immigration is a step in the right direction.

“Unfortunately and we know it well in our own region they are igniting tension in a wide arc of the world map with many and parallel consequences from the disruption of security and the global economy to the resurgence of migration. Our position is categorical. Borders cannot be breached and terrorist activity cannot go unanswered. In such cases the same distances favor aggression and authoritarianism,” he said.

He reiterated Greece’s support to Israel saying “as allies, we have a common attitude towards international challenges and the dramatic events in the Middle East. Our governments condemn the bloody terrorist attack against Israel and the kidnapping and killing of civilians. At the same time we recognize Israel’s right to self-defense and seek the restoration of peace. These events undermine a just solution by violating the sovereignty of an independent state.”

PS people from war-torn countries are “refugees” and not “immigrants.”