Press Office
Athens, 28 November 2021
“Turkey not only does not respect its commitments to the EU, but on the contrary, seeks the illegal entry of immigrants to Greece”: Head of Greek delegation to Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) responds to Speaker of Grand National Assembly of Turkey
A direct response to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Şentop was given by MP Stefanos Gikas, as Head of the Hellenic Parliament delegation to the 143rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which is taking place in Madrid.
In particular, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and high-ranking official of the ruling “Justice and Development” Party (AKP), accused in his speech at the Plenary Session of the IPU, Greece, for carrying out illegal pushbacks in the Aegean. He even said that Greece is responsible for the loss of many human lives in the Aegean and called for the reaction of and condemnation by the International Community.
The MP Stefanos Gikas requested the floor and responded with the following:
“It is a self-evident obligation for any country to safeguard and secure its borders. It is undisputable that the Greek authorities operate with absolute respect for International and European Law, as well as the rules of involvement at sea. After all, Greece has consistently demonstrated its commitment to applying International Law at any time.
Turkey on the other hand, not only does not respect its commitments to the European Union, but on the contrary, seeks the illegal entry of refugees and immigrants to Greece. Turkey’s Coast Guard clearly escort migrants to the sea border, disregarding their safety. The visual evidence is well-known to everyone.
From 2015 we had 5.500 incidents at sea and Greece saved approximately 250.00 migrants and refugees.
These are the facts, to set the record straight!”
It should be noted that the 143rd IPU Assembly is continuing its work on the main theme: “Contemporary challenges to Democracy: Overcoming and building community”
You can watch Mr. Gikas’ response here .
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