Greek PM: Europe cannot allow repeat of 2015
Expressing his disagreement with European Parliament President David Sassoli, who decried Tuesday’s decision by the extraordinary EU Council of Home Affairs Ministers on Afghan asylum seekers, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he stood by it, arguing that Greece has been a victim of a policy that highlighted the significant weaknesses of the European institutions.
Speaking at the 16th Bled Strategic Forum, where discussions focused on the future of Europe, Mitsotakis said Europe cannot have a repeat of the events of 2015, when uncontrollable flows of migrants flooded the continent.
Europe, he insisted, should protect its borders and this should be done in a disciplined way that will be governed by principles, with full respect for international law.
Addressing the forum, Sassoli said, “We were very disappointed with the Home Affairs Council conclusions.”
“We have seen countries outside the EU come forward to welcome Afghan asylum seekers, but we have not seen a single member-state do the same… We cannot pretend that the Afghan question does not concern us, because we participated in that mission and shared its objectives and aims,” he said.
