Few days before the European Council Summit Tuesday and Friday in Brussels and the Europeans emerge for one more time divided as to how to deal with the Refugee Crisis. Alliances have been built and the EU member states seem to be trapped in their own fences, fences they erected to halt the flows of refugees and migrants: border controls, shut borders, expel Greece from Schengen…. you name it – all scenarios are here as the fronts petrify.
Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected proposals of expelling Greece from the Schengen area, and Berlin-satellite, The Netherlands, that holds the EU rotating presidency, “urged for more border controls instead of closure”, so Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders on Sunday.
However, Austria that holds the No-Refugees-Tomahawk of the EU hardliners’ front together with Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic wants more radical solutions. Warning that Vienna may begin turning down refugees in the following months, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, not only urged FYROM to be ready to close its borders, he also urged Greece to do the same.
Speaking to daily TA NEA, Kurz claimed that Greece should close its border to FYROM for 24 hours at least in order to send the message to refugees that they are not welcome, with the effect that the flows will decrease.
“If you close the northern border and Greece is left for more than 24 hours with the refugees in its territory, then its attitude will rapidly change and will have interest to accept European assistance!”
He defended his idea of closing the borders instead of more border controls saying that:
“Closing the borders with FYROM will send the correct message to refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan that the crossing to Europe is not open and therefore the refugee flows will decrease.”
Sebastian Kurz claimed that only if some borders close, the refugees will understand that the way to Europe is not easy.
He even insisted that it is the borders between Greece and FYROM that must be closed and not these between Greece and Turkey. “FYROM is willing to do that, I don’t know about Turkey,” he said.
Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz confirms that he is victim of a broader ignorance about the map of Europe, states responsibilities towards war refugees as well as details about the refugees route. He has simply no idea what he is talking about. Then while refugees leave Turkey and enter Greece illegally over the sea way, refugees leaving Greece enter FYROM through the legal border crossing.
Whiz Kids below 30 should go back to school….
PS Whoever believes that borders closure and the NATO fleet will hinder refugees and migrants from seeking other ways to reach Europe raise hands!
The European door must get a bit more opened, also it’s against Schengen to ask travellers names when boarding a ferry-boat to Italy. To balance this out all citizens of this anti-refugees-countries have to get visa if they wanna visit the Mediterranean, the next 4 weeks will be enough as 2/3 of the European states parliaments will be unable to do their jobs any more because the lobbies of the tourism-industry will storm their offices.
Someone in Austria should offer to teach this ignoramus Kurz a few things about Schengen law, international humanitarian law and also common sense.