PM chides Turkey, recalcitrant EU member states over migration
Turkey needs to do more to fulfill its commitments to the European Union with regards to the refugee and migration crisis, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday.
Speaking at a meeting of the center-right European People's Party in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, Mitsotakis was also critical of EU member states flouting the refugee quota system designed to distribute arrivals more fairly across the bloc, saying that Greece has “shouldered a much bigger burden than its share.”
The Greek Prime lamented the considerable increase in migrant arrivals across the Aegean from Turkey in recent months, saying that it is “unacceptable” that Ankara should exploit the crisis for international leverage. He said that even though Turkey is host to millions of refugees, the European Union should not bend to such pressure.
Mitsotakis also hailed the new vice president of the European Commission, Greek diplomat Margaritis Schinas, saying that reform of the asylum system and border protection are the two top priorities of his new portfolio.
