Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made joint statements with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his visit to Warsaw, the first Greek Prime Minister since 2011.
“Greece supports Kiev strongly, both economically and militarily,” he emphasized initially, noting that “Poland is experiencing the impact of the war in Ukraine.” Regarding migration, he stated, among other things, that “we must protect our borders.”
“Of course, I have very personal reasons to be happy to come here, as my wife comes from Poland,” said the Greek Prime Minister. He continued by saying, “We have emphasized the situation in Ukraine, with the impact on Poland being significant. I mentioned to both Mr. Tusk and President Zelensky that we will continue to support Ukraine, both militarily and economically. Additionally, we discussed migration. We must defend our borders, and we have made progress on this issue. We must make the decisions, not the traffickers.”
In the same context, he said, “We exchanged experiences on migration and discussed common European challenges. We talked yesterday about the agenda, such as Defense and Security, as both countries spend more than 2% of GDP. This issue must be discussed after the European elections. We belong to the same political family and agree on agricultural and competitiveness issues, as well as the ‘green’ transition, without threatening our farmers. If there are changes to the CAP, we must agree.”
Regarding Poland’s support for Greece during the forest fires, the Greek Prime Minister emphasized that “we are grateful to the Polish firefighters, and we are working on a mechanism for their permanent presence, which is a tangible example of solidarity. We have much to say about economics, as 1.3 million Polish tourists come to Greece, and I call for them to come again.”
Tusk: Our cooperation gives me hope and makes me optimistic about the safe future of Europe
“Our cooperation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis gives me hope and makes me optimistic about the safe future of Europe,” Donald Tusk stressed in the context of their joint statements in Warsaw.
“Our cooperation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis is excellent; we rely on each other,” Mr. Tusk underscored, among other things. He said that they discussed security and illegal migration issues. Both countries have serious reasons to address illegal migration, he noted, adding that our positions are close to those of Prime Minister Mitsotakis.
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He added, “We will try to have a positive influence on shaping European strategies regarding security and migration. I want to mention that this is something we discussed at length today, that we will exchange practical experiences regarding effective border protection against irregular migration. Both countries have serious reasons to address illegal migration. Of course, the problems differ due to different geographical positions and neighbors, but our positions are close to Prime Minister Mitsotakis. Europe, member states, must effectively protect their territories and control their borders, ensuring that their migration policy is not chaotic or uncontrolled. So, thank you very much, dear Kyriakos, for the exchange of views on a safer Europe both in the south and the east of its borders.”
The first visit of a Greek Prime Minister to Warsaw since 2011
It is the first visit of a Greek Prime Minister to Poland since 2011. During the meeting, all issues of European interest were discussed, in view of the forthcoming European Council meeting next week (April 17-18), as well as regional and international issues, with a focus on the latest developments in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The two leaders, who are “both the strongest leaders of the EPP at the moment,” discussed issues related to the European People’s Party’s strategy towards the European elections, as well as the next day for Europe.
