Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis claimed that the recent ‘threats’ by Turkey to its sovereignty with the ‘illegal and invalid’ Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding, is unlikely to lead to conflict.
The Greek PM made the comments in an interview published in the Sunday edition of German newspaper Bild. When asked if he was concerned about an escalation on Turkey's side that could lead to conflict in the Aegean, Mitsotakis expressed confidence that "things will not get out of control."
Mitsotakis said that Greece will not accept any violation of its sovereign right pointing out that it is Turkey who is violating the Law of the Sea, not Greece.
On the issue of the refugee crisis, the Greek Prime Minister strongly condemned the fact Greece had to bear the brunt of migrant and refugee inflows, and called for a reform of the Dublin Regulation rules on migration as they stand.
He said that it is "unacceptable that Greece has to face the refugee issue by itself," and called for a change in the Dublin system of migration, which places an undue burden on countries like Greece that are entry points to the EU. He pointed out that the European Commission had promised to create a new regulation and to ensure that the burden is shared among all member states.
In terms of the economy, the Greek PM pointed out that the Greek economic crisis will "finally end if Greece develops quickly." He expressed the certainty that Greece would be able to repay its debts, and noted the favourable terms the country is now able to borrow under. "Who would have thought a few months ago that this would have been possible?" he said.
