Greece, Lithuania call for just, effective common European migration policy

ATHENS, July 15– Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visiting Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte called on Thursday for a just and effective common European policy to deal with the migration challenge. Greece has been at the forefront of the crisis since 2015, while Lithuania is faced with increasing migratory pressure on its borders with…

ATHENS, July 15 (Xinhua) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visiting Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte called on Thursday for a just and effective common European policy to deal with the migration challenge.

Greece has been at the forefront of the crisis since 2015, while Lithuania is faced with increasing migratory pressure on its borders with Belarus.

“Greece has stood by Lithuania from the very beginning of the recent migratory situation it faces, as Lithuania stood by Greece when we faced our challenges,” Mitsotakis said in a joint statement with Simonyte broadcast on Greek national television ERT.

“Our shared aim is to achieve a just and effective common European policy, one that will clearly not overburden member states exposed to migratory pressures because of their geography but will instead ensure a fair and proper sharing of responsibility across the Union, always in the spirit of solidarity,” he said.

The two countries agreed to coordinate their positions during the negotiations over the new European Pact for Migration and Asylum, the Greek leader said, stressing that the migration crisis poses significant challenges for the whole of the European Union (EU) and should be addressed collectively by the whole of the EU.

“If we are a Union, we are union for something. I am very thankful to the Greek government for its technical support and expertise that it already provides and will be providing along the way. The experience of those who have dealt with similar situations is very useful and very important,” Simonyte said. Enditem