Greece and Poland Emphasize Cooperation on Defending Borders
Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently met with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk in Warsaw to discuss the future of security in Europe and cooperation on migration, with an emphasis on defending borders.
Cooperation between Greece and Poland
“For many reasons, our cooperation with Prime Minister Mitsotakis is always excellent. We can rely on each other,” the Polish prime minister said.
Donald Tusk said that both countries can have a positive influence on the development of European strategies on security and migration, adding that they would share experiences on effective border protection.
“Europe’s member states must protect their territories and control their borders by ensuring that migration policy is not chaotic or uncontrolled,” he stressed.
The Polish prime minister also spoke on the two countries’ common position when it comes to support for Ukraine, saying they were a good pair to work together ahead of the European elections, after which, he added, it will be easy to create new alliances and structures.
Tusk went on to thank Mitsotakis for his generous words regarding the contribution of some of Poland’s firefighters to help deal with fires in Greece last year, and said there would be cooperation for this year’s fire season as well.
The Greek prime minister said that the pair discussed the war in Ukraine extensively. “We are in the third year of this unprovoked and illegal attack by Russia against Ukraine. The impact is being felt in Poland. And yesterday to President Zelensky I had the opportunity to reiterate that we will continue our strong support to Ukraine financially and militarily for as long as it is needed,” Mitsotakis said.
He also made mention of the common challenges experienced by Greece and Poland when it comes to migration, saying “We have to defend our borders, which are also EU borders, and we have made progress in the European Council. It must be up to us who enters Europe and it should not be up to the smugglers.”
Speaking on the topic of defence, he shared that Greece and Poland spend well over two percent of their GDP. “We have to be at the forefront of defence issues in Europe. This may include some joint borrowing or other forms. It should be discussed after the next European elections,” Mitsotakis said.
He also stated that he and Donald Tusk are two leaders from the European People’s Party and can play an important role in Europe’s initiatives in the next election cycle, whether on issues related to defence and security, competitiveness and job creation, or the agricultural sector. He added that the green transition is necessary but it must be managed in a way that does not lead farmers to feel threatened.
