Europe will not be blackmailed: Greek PM

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and also addressed the German-Hellenic Economic Forum where he stressed that Greece and Europe will not be blackmailed.

"The asymmetric threat from the east changes the priorities and the health crisis makes our work more difficult. In the last 10 days we have shown that we can defend our national and European sovereignty. Greece and Europe cannot be blackmailed by anyone," he said.

During his meeting with the German Chancellor, the Greek PM discussed the attempted entry to Greece by the large wave of migrants from Turkey and the repercussions of the coronavirus in public health and the economy.

The support offered by many European countries is tangible proof of European solidarity, said Mitsotakis. "When we needed our friends, dear Angela (Merkel), they gave us both moral and practical support," he added.

"We are entering a new phase as regards migration. President Erdogan will be in Brussels this afternoon and I consider this development positive. I hope it is the start of a de-escalation of the crisis," Mitsotakis said.

He pointed out that if the Turkish President wants a review of the EU-Turkey agreement on migration "which he has, himself, effectively demolished," then he must take the following actions: remove the desperate people in Evros and stop spreading fake news and propaganda.