Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick represented Greece at the Ministerial Meeting “Aqaba Programme” which was held at the Hague. Τhe “Aqaba Programme” is a global initiative by the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, held for the first time this year, beyond the borders of Jordan, in the Netherlands.
The King of Jordan Abdullah II, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and other high-ranking officials from countries in the European Union, the Middle East, North Africa and the US participated in the programme. The main was cooperation in the context of international and regional actions undertaken against terrorism.
During his intervention, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the following:
“Greece does not identify all those migrants and refugees from Asia and Africa who are trying to reach and enter Europe, in search of basic survival, with terrorists and extremists. This approach taken by certain individuals, or even countries, does not concern us in our policy that is based on humanity and solidarity.
But this does not mean that Greece, through the collaboration of all of its competent Services (Greek Police, National Intelligence Service, Coast Guard, Customs etc.) fails to control as it should, with the greatest possible efficiency, the flows of incoming foreigners, making it possible for those dangerous to our country’s security, and Europe more generally, to have crept in or to be attempting to enter. We are honoured by EUROPOL’s acknowledgement related to the work we do and indeed -now I am referring to the migration/refugee issue- without the assistance of our partners as we would like it, and as it should be.
We need greater backing and more substantial help in manpower and means. Don’t forget that we represent Europe’s borders. And this affects everybody, not just us.”
On the margin of the Ministerial Meeting, Mr. Quick met with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stef Blok, and the Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Christodoulides.
November 5, 2018