Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis angrily defended his government’s immigration policy in a fierce exchange with a reporter who accused him of allegedly rejecting Aegean asylum seekers. Lie on.
Late on Tuesday, at a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, Mitsotakis was accused of “narcissistic abuse” and he denied that the Greek authorities had rejected asylum seekers Enter its land and sea borders.
“Prime Minister Mizotakis, when will you stop lying? Lying about resistance, lying about what is happening to refugees Greece? “Dutch reporter Ingeborg Beugel asked.
This event is unprecedented in a traditional country where few leaders are publicly present.
Mizotakis was obviously angry and replied: “I know that in the Netherlands, you have a culture of asking politicians directly. I respect this culture very much. What I cannot accept is that in this office, you will use or not Accusations and remarks supported by substantive facts insult me or the Greek people.”
After last year Border crisisWhen thousands of people, encouraged by the Turkish government, tried to break through the Greek border, EU countries faced increasing charges accusing them of illegally expelling small boats arriving from the Turkish coast and seeking asylum on other shaky ships. By.
Increasingly, human rights organizations and aid organizations, including the UN refugee agency, have expressed concern, saying that the practice of shutting people out without due process violates international law.
Like all EU member states, Greece is a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention and recognizes the right of refugees to seek asylum when facing threats of persecution elsewhere.
But Mizotakis believes that the country has saved “hundreds or even thousands” of people at sea, so it is commendable.
“Instead of putting the blame on Greece, it is better to put the blame on those who have been systematically using immigration to push people in. [a] From a desperate situation in a safe country, because I need to remind you that the Turkish people are not in danger,” he said.
He said that in an unprecedented serious immigration crisis, Athens granted protection to 50,000 asylum seekers. He said that the Greek patrol did not counterattack, but intercepted the ship as permitted by European regulations.
When Beugel tried to interrupt him by saying that their living conditions were “shocking”, Mitsotakis angrily stated that she had apparently not been to the new “impeccable” funded by the EU. Facilities on Samos – A facility that has been compared to a prison by aid groups.
In a county so divided politically, Beugel was praised by many leftists on Wednesday for presenting a disturbing truth.
The MeRA25 party, led by former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis (Yanis Varoufakis), countered that with the support of Frontex, the “crimes” committed by the Greek Coast Guard, the government and other EU countries insulted “the Greeks”. good reputation”. , The border agency of the group, in the Aegean Sea.
