New Greek Alternate Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos, who holds the sensitive migration policy portfolio within the public order ministry, on Wednesday said Athens continues to emphasis the need for a full implementation 2016 EU-Turkey migrant readmission protocol, asked about inflammatory comments by the Turkish foreign minister hours earlier.
Turkish FM Mevlut Çavuşoğlu told the TGRT Haber channel in Turkey that "...we will not wait at the EU’s door ... The readmission agreement and visa-free deal will be put into effect at the same time.”
In a bid to ameliorate the Turkish minister's comments, Koumoutsakos, a career diplomat, referred to an "already well-known Turkish positions and decisions, as of 2017. These statements by the Turkish FM do not deal with the implementation of the EU-Turkey joint communiqué."
