The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, participated in a thematic discussion on immigration, within the framework of the “Concordia Summit” conference in New York.
The Minister underlined the distinction between refugees, who seek protection – women, unaccompanied children, etc. – and who are hosted and cared for in accordance with international treaties, and migrants. He recalled that in 2015, almost one million migrants crossed to the Greek islands and the mainland via Turkey, “a number corresponding to one tenth of our population”, which was almost impossible for the country to manage in the midst of austerity.
Mr. Kikilias said that Greece, like the United States, wants legal immigration. “We want the same in Greece: seeking job opportunities and getting ahead, in a legal way,” he said, referring to the example of Greek immigrants to the United States, who traveled for weeks by boat and when they reached their destination, worked, progressed and became respected.
He also highlighted the need for security, “so that women and children can walk at night without problem,” as well as the ability of each generation to live better than the previous one.
Regarding illegal immigration, he stressed that “no one can and should enter Greece, Europe or America without permission.” As he said, the country needs workers in tourism, construction and agriculture, but this must be done in balance.
Concluding, he stressed that “wars will not stop, nor will the climate crisis” and that there will always be people looking for food, shelter and water, noting that security is a fundamental need for societies. As he said, this makes it necessary “to rethink the framework of measures and decisions, so as to maintain balance in societies”. He warned, however, that when integration is not done properly, “after one or two generations, the problems appear in the worst way”, underlining the need for policies compatible with the real needs of citizens.
