“The extension of the asylum suspension is on the table, we will decide in the first week of October,” declared the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, speaking on Parapolitika 90.1 radio show “She and I” with journalists Stella Gantona and Thanasis Fouskidis. The minister emphasized that the government will take whatever measures are needed to protect the country. He stressed that “migration is not a solution to the demographic problem, because the demographic issue is not a numerical problem – we are a homeland and we are a nation. To say ‘I will bring people’ means we’re talking about population replacement, not an integration process.”
Read: Plevris on migration: If there are deliberate intentions from Libya, there will be escalation from our side (Video)
Finally, Thanos Plevris mentioned that he agrees there should be openings toward former prime ministers A. Samaras and K. Karamanlis. “I believe that those who have served as presidents of New Democracy, regardless of what may have happened along the way, remain part of the political camp,” he noted.
Excerpts from Thanos Plevris’ interview on Parapolitika 90.1
Regarding migration flows to the country:
T.PLEVRIS: Crete must at some point have a regular permanent facility like Lesbos, Kos, and Chios have. We have requested public spaces that exist, they have indicated some spaces to us, technical services will go – they have already gone – to decide which is the best. This permanent facility has tender procedures so in the best case scenario we will need over a year to have it ready. Until then, the first thing we must handle is Agia and there we have indicated some spaces for approximately the next two months because until mid-November there may be migration pressure due to weather, and the second is to have complete preparation for next year because you understand at this moment with very tough measures we took, we managed to have only 680 arrivals in August – imagine what would have happened if the intensity of flows had occurred August 12-16. So until we have the permanent facility we must have temporary spaces that can hold an adequate population when we have migration pressure.
T.PLEVRIS: Of the 27,000 flows the country had in the eight-month period, 12,000 were from Crete and imagine 12,000 flows when after the amendment we had fewer than 1,000. So the main channel of migration flows at this moment is Crete, given that in our Eastern Aegean islands the drop is over 50%.
Asked if he believes there is deliberate intention behind the migration flows:
T.PLEVRIS: I cannot say “finger pointing” because I see that at our eastern borders, which are primarily Turkey’s responsibility, we have a serious reduction in migration flows. What we see though, and we cannot ignore this and it relates to intentionality, is that from July 9 to September 12 there were many good days. Indeed on good days there was some flow but the flow might have been 100-150 people when suddenly we have 258 one day, 580 the second, 214 the third and suddenly the next two days with good weather you don’t have this – this means there was some direction. Whether this is coincidental, meaning the networks may have found a route that Libyan authorities couldn’t control, or if this happened because there may have been some displeasure and a message wanted to be sent, is something we will monitor in the coming days. If we see there is no response because continuous effort is made when boats start to be informed to stop the boats, then obviously we will escalate. At this moment nothing more can be said but we are prepared to take whatever measures are needed to protect our country.
JOURNALIST: Do you mean you might extend the asylum suspension?
T.PLEVRIS: That is also on the table, the prime minister said we will decide in the first week of October. The suspension expires between October 9-11.
JOURNALIST: Is it a measure that worked?
T.PLEVRIS: It worked based on results because from the moment we had 3,640 in July and 680 in August and 75 people in the first ten days of September, it worked. Suspending the measure is something that must be explained and justified because it is a practice that is at the limits of European law, so if the flows are coincidental it may not justify such a measure, but if conversely they show they have momentum it may justify it, so we wait.
T.PLEVRIS: Legal migration is a reservoir we haven’t utilized until now. When someone gets asylum and can stay in Greece, tell me which policy is correct – the welfare policy “sit, I feed you, give you drink, you have rent and do nothing” or the policy – which we’re already starting – whoever is to get asylum “tell us what work you did where you were.” I’ll give you rapid training in the equivalent here in Greece and as soon as you get asylum come work at Elliniko airport, the fields… Which is the right policy – to feed them and give them welfare policy or for the one who will stay because he got asylum to say “it’s time to work”?
Asked if migration can be a solution to the country’s demographic issue:
T.PLEVRIS: Migration is not a solution to demographics because demographics is not a numerical problem – we are a homeland and we are a nation. To say “I will bring people” means we’re talking about population replacement, not an integration process.
Asked to comment on A. Loverdos joining New Democracy:
T.PLEVRIS: Mr. Loverdos is a person who gave a tremendous fight against SYRIZA and in a period when he was targeted due to Novartis, both humanly and personally I connected with him in all this struggle that many members of our camp went through. Beyond that, obviously Mr. Loverdos has an argument saying he accepts New Democracy’s principles and values and correspondingly I believe he is a pillar of stability. The key thing for me is not persons as persons, the issue is that the camp’s principles and values are unchangeable and whoever comes adheres to the principles and values. We don’t change the principles and values!
Asked if he believes Mr. Loverdos’ joining strengthens New Democracy’s center-right profile:
T.PLEVRIS: I, because I address myself as a person more to the right-wing audience, the right-wing audience that might think of having another choice besides New Democracy is more interested in policies than in persons.
Asked if he agrees with the request for more generous openings toward Samaras and Karamanlis:
T.PLEVRIS: Yes obviously. I believe that those who have served as presidents of New Democracy, regardless of what may have happened along the way, remain part of the political camp.
