ND’s Mitsotakis says “more asylum seekers need to leave Greece”

Greece needs to start talks on how more asylum seekers can leave the country, as part of a new relocation program to other European countries, and not how they can return to Greece, said New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis as he arrived at a meeting of the European People’s Party in Brussels on Wednesday.

Speaking in reference to Greek Prime Minister Tsipras, who said he is ready to sign a deal with German Chancellor Merkel, to take back asylum seekers from Germany, Mitsotakis said that the EU’s cohesion is being tested by the refugee crisis and asked that the solutions put forth be European and based on principals of efficiency, solidarity and a fair distribution of weight amidst all countries in the European Union.

“The first priority should be the efficient protection of Europe’s external borders and the single asylum process to all those who try to enter Europe. Tsipras, unfortunately, has a large responsibility for the open border policy he adopted in 2015. As he also has a large responsibility for the fact that asylum procedures in our country, especially on the Greek islands where they are delayed, resulting in a tragic situation on many islands.”