ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday that Europe needs to show practical solidarity with Greece on the migration issue.
“It’s time for Europe’s support to pass from words into actions, to be expressed in tangible solidarity,” Mitsotakis said after a meeting European Union Council President Charles Michel.
The Moria camp on Lesbos island which was devastated by a fire last week “belongs to the past”, Mitsotakis said, adding that a new facilty would be built to replace it, with more support and involvement from the European Union.
The conservative premier also said that the migration issue needs a European response and a new asylum policy.
Ahead of an EU summit this month which will discuss tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, Mitsotakis said that Athens was ready to enter exploratory talks with Ankara “immediately” on maritime zones if Turkey ended provocations in the region.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Angeliki Koutantou; editing by James Mackenzie)
