A tripartite assembly between the migration ministers of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria befell right this moment in Istanbul. Within the assembly that befell in a corridor of the Dolmabahce Palace, the pinnacle of the Greek delegation was the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, whereas the Turkish and Bulgarian sides had been attended by the Ministers of the Inside, Ali Gerlikaya and Atanas Ilkov, respectively.
As stated by Mr. Panagiotopoulos after the assembly, it’s a physique that has been concluded each on the govt degree – enterprise executives that’s – but in addition on the degree of political management and it holds conferences at common intervals, frequently, if attainable each 4 months. The principle topic of right this moment's assembly was the administration of migration flows.
In his statements, the Greek minister emphasised that “the issues that exist are identified, the variations between Greece and Turkey are identified, I might say, however from the start we insisted – and naturally with the steerage of the political leaders, that’s, the Greek Prime Minister and the Turkish President – that on this area, each bilaterally, but in addition in broader schemes, such because the tripartite Greece-Turkey-Bulgaria, we should cooperate. As a result of cooperation can deliver advantages for everybody.”
He clarified that there are leads to the sphere of cooperation concerning land border administration, for the reason that flows from there are managed. “It’s marginally elevated when it comes to borders, the Greece-Turkey land border, however in relation to the rise in sea borders it’s clearly smaller and subsequently manageable. This isn’t solely because of the obstacles we have now eliminated, such because the fence on the Evros, but in addition to the higher degree of cooperation between the competent providers of all three nations, Greece-Turkey-Bulgaria” stated the Minister of Immigration and Asylum.
The problem and the purpose insisted on by the Greek facet, in response to Mr. Panagiotopoulos, “is that we should deliver related outcomes to our sea borders, the place there may be a whole lot of room for enchancment, since amongst different issues we should intensify the struggle towards the felony organizations of traffickers, who all the time discover methods”.
The response, primarily within the Jap Aegean, have to be executed with larger and quicker boats and extra floating means at extra factors of motion, but in addition of disembarkation on Greek territory, careworn Nikos Panagiotopoulos. “Subsequently, we should discover methods to work collectively to curb this exercise, which – all of us three agree – is a felony exercise and as such should obtain a troublesome and decisive response from organized states,” he added.
Requested in regards to the dimension of the flows within the present interval, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum replied: “In the intervening time, the flows from the ocean seem lowered. It’s logical and logical that we don’t have the identical flows within the winter as in the summertime months. Relating to entry into Greece final yr, we had round a 30 to 35% improve in unlawful immigrants, irregular immigrants. About 60,000 individuals entered the nation, and of those 80% entered from the Aegean and primarily from the south-eastern Aegean, the islands of the jap Aegean, primarily the Dodecanese. We additionally had inflows into Greece from the so-called southern hall, i.e. from the Libyan coast through Crete. We had, as I instructed you, only a few from the land borders. However the stress level is positioned within the islands of the southeast Aegean and alongside the islands to our east. Subsequently, that is additionally the realm the place we have to give attention to the cooperation of port authorities, extra means, employees, use of recent applied sciences for surveillance and border surveillance and alternate of knowledge. And I believe that if all that is applied with consistency, willpower and a spirit of cooperation, we can have all the outcomes.”
After the tripartite ministerial assembly, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, visited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Fanari.
Supply: RES-MPE
