The refugee issue dominated a meeting between main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz on Wednesday in Brussels.
Mitsotakis underlined that Greece’s northern borders should not close and Schulz shared the same view saying that this is not the solution to the problem. The leader of the main opposition stated that everyone in Europe must undestand that Greece alone cannot solve the refugee problem as it also bears the burden of the economic crisis.
On his part, Schulz stressed the importance of supporting Greece, but as he said, Greece should show signs that it does its best to meet its commitments.
The role of Turkey
Both officials agreed on the key role that Turkey plays in the migration issue. However, they said that the cooperation with the European Union falls short of the expectations and its commitments.
Refugee issue and the negotiations between the government and the institutions dominate the agenda of Mr. Mitsotakis meetings with political leaders in Brussels on February 17-18.
The refugee issue and the negotiations between the government and the institutions dominate the agenda of ND leader’s meetings.
Closing borders is not legal
In the meanwhile, the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker underlined that it is neither legal nor politically acceptable for the European Union to work with a third country in order to close the borders of member-state, in reference to the rumors of a Greek exclusion from the Schengen area.
In his interview to German newspaper Bild, Mr. Juncker further argued that border security for both countries will only be achieved by further developing the degree of cooperation and repeated his position that the refugee crisis will only be solved though common efforts.
According to the European Commission chief, the Schengen agreement and freedom of movement within it must not be jeopardized and estimated that history will vindicate German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s stance on the refugee crisis.
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