Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reports about 400-500 new asylum seekers per day – and sees his country at the limit of possibilities. He called for an early reform of the Dublin Rules.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pushed Germany to accept more refugees due to the dramatic situation on the island of Lesbos. Mitsotakis answered “yes” to the question of whether Germany should accept refugees from Lesbos, Bild am Sonntag reports. The idea of the Dublin Regulation was that “part of the asylum application process is being carried out in other countries.”
The Prime Minister called for amending the Dublin Regulation: “We need to develop a European pact on asylum and migration, as the European Commission has promised, and we need to share the burden of solving this problem.”
The Greek Prime Minister also told the newspaper that his country is beyond its capabilities. “We host 400 to 500 people a day.” He also believes that many people who are currently arriving on the islands in Greece do not have the right to asylum: “Everyone should know that many of these people who come to us are not refugees. They are economic migrants. ”
Mitsotakis also asked “to send a clear signal to smugglers.” “If you come and find out that you are not entitled to international protection, be aware of this because we will send you back.”
The Greek Prime Minister defended himself from criticism that the situation on Lesbos and other Greek islands is unacceptable for refugees: “We are doing a lot to solve this big problem … Unfortunately, it became clear that the agreement between the EU and Turkey, which worked quite well not bad for almost two and a half years, currently no longer respected by Turkey. ”
In the midst of the migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, thousands of people migrated daily from the Turkish coast to Lesbos and other Greek islands. Following the conclusion of a refugee agreement between Turkey and the European Union in the EU in March 2016, the number of new arrivals to the islands dropped significantly. However, over time, more and more people have come to Europe through the Aegean.