Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday reiterated that the country "is committed to protecting its borders, which are also the borders of the European Union," in statements at the Maximos Mansion during a press conference with his visiting Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Šimonytė.
The comment comes after Lithuanian faced a surge of illegal migrants, mostly from the Mideast and south Asia, crossing its border with Belarus over the recent period, a development attributed to the authoritarian Lukashenko regime in Minsk attempting to pressure the EU and especially Lithuania.
The illegal practice is reminiscent of official Turkey's attempt in late February and March 2020 to funnel tens of thousands of would-be migrants into Greece through the land border between the two countries along the Evros River, in the Thrace province. The latter attempt was blunted by the quick mobilization of Greek law enforcement and military along the frontier, much to the chagrin of Ankara.
On Thursday, Mitsotakis added that Greece fully respects human rights while intercepting all attempts at illegal entry. He also offered Athens' solidarity with Lithuania and its attempt to now deal with a similar situation.
Mitsotakis emphasized a need for the best possible coordination by EU member-states. and referred to the process currently underway to finalize the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum.
"We must reach a common European policy, which does not excessively burden countries on the Union's external borders, but one that ensures a fair distribution of the burden among EU partners," he said.
The two leaders also discussed the future of Europe, the pandemic and economic recovery after the pandemic, as well as what they called the "instrumentalization" of would-be migrants and asylum seekers by third countries, a clear reference to Turkey and Belarus.
"We discussed the significant migration pressure on Lithuania currently on its eastern borders with Belarus. These problems ... are similar to those faced by Greece for many years; they're characterized by persistent migration flows combined, at times, with an orchestrated effort by a third country to put political pressure on the EU through migration, which is used as a tool for promoting geopolitical power," the Greek PM warned.
