Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos met today with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Mignon, for an exchange of views on CoE activities and priorities.
Mr. Avramopoulos put particular emphasis on the matter of confronting the phenomenon of illegal migration and the multifaceted impact it has had on Greek society. They jointly ascertained that illegal migration is not just a Greek problem, but a European and international problem that must be resolved through joint efforts on the level of both the EU and the UN.
Mr. Mignon informed Mr. Avramopoulos that next week’s meeting of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly, in Strasbourg, will raise the issue of confronting illegal migration, adding that Greece needs immediate actions of solidarity and financial support from its partners in order to deal with the very heavy weight it is shouldering due to its geographical position on the EU’s external borders.
January 16, 2013