The message that Greece has shielded its borders and will continue to do so with the extension of the fence on the Evros was sent by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the event on the theme: “3 years of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum – 3 years of effective management of the Migration Crisis” which was held on Tuesday morning, at Zappeio Megaro in Athens.

The PM was critical of Turkey for its stance on immigration, accusing it of playing with human suffering for national and political reasons, while at the same time asking for a better implementation of the joint statement that Ankara signed with the European Union in 2016.

Finally, Mitsotakis referred to the role of NGOs, some of which, as he said, engage in anti-Greek propaganda, making special reference to the case of “young Maria” in Evros and the apology that “some in the homeland have never asked for they took her away.”

Starting his speech, Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that “there are many fields that show that Greece has moved forward and especially in immigration where everything has changed. “The chaos was succeeded by the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum,” he said.

“We shielded the borders in the Evros and those that did not exist at that time were finally raised in the Aegean sea while the disgraces of Moria and Idomeni gave way to modern structures” added the prime minister.

“After the effective defence that we erected, a very important project was followed that is reflected in everyday life,” the Prime Minister emphasized and quoted the following facts.

– in 2022, 17,000 entered Greece, while in 2015 over 900,000
– in 2015 75% of illegal entries into the EU were in Greece, last year it was 5%
– at the same time our islands breathed a sigh of relief. 40,000 were on the Aegean islands in 2019 and now there are only 5,000.
– the total number of migrants in structures decreased. From 92,000 we have fallen to just under 15,000 which are in closed structures which are also decreasing as they were 121 in 2019, 33 are today with the lands attributed to local communities”.

“Greece stands at the forefront of the threat of immigration boldly in a methodic way. It keeps the borders safe from the migrant flows and the wretched slave traders. That is why we extend the fence in the Evros borders but also protect the dignity of those who cross the border. Compare the wretchedness of the camp on Samos which was designed to accommodate 1,000 and ended up accommodating 7,000 with the modern structure created with European funds.’

“For Greece, the protection of human life is a priority. Strict and fair border protection protects human lives”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis also noted.