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Greece submits demarche to Austria over Vienna Conference on Refugees

Greece blast Austria over its initiative to invite countries of the so-called Western Balkan to a Conference over refugee crisis in Vienna, thus excluding Greece – the country that receives thousands of refugees each and every day.

Despite the Conclusions of the EU Leaders Summit last Friday, Austria proceeded to a unilateral move to impose a cap on the number of refugees entering daily its territory. It looks as if Vienna tries to convince the Balkan states to cut the Route to thousands of refugees trying to reach central Europe.

Greece complaioned also to the European Commission in Brussels and the answer it received was that The EC was not invited to the conference either. However, EC spokeswoman  reportedly said that

The EU Commission “concerned” by unilateral actions on migrants

Below the Demarche by the Greek Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry announcement regarding the organization in Vienna of a conference on the refugee crisis.

Tuesday, 23 February 2016

The Foreign Ministry’s Political Director, Ambassador Petros Mavroeidis, yesterday delivered to the Austrian Ambassador here, Andrea Ikić-Böhm, a demarche regarding the initiative for organizing, in Vienna, a conference of the Interior and Foreign Ministers of Austria and the countries of the Western Balkans.

On the instructions of Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Mr. Mavroeidis stressed, among other things, to the Austrian Ambassador that, through this unilateral move, which is not at all friendly towards our country, an attempt is being made, in the absence of Greece, to take decisions that directly concern Greece and the Greek borders.

He also stated that it is surprising that this initiative was announced just a few hours after the completion of the European Council meeting that looked in detail at the refugee issue, adopting relevant conclusions.

Finally, he underscored that Greece, which is shouldering a disproportionate burden of a refugee and migration crisis caused by the actions of others, will continue to defend the principles, the values, the vision and the name of the United Europe, and will refute all those who undermine in practice the cohesion and vision of the European Union.

A corresponding demarche was delivered by our Embassy in Vienna to the Foreign Ministry of Austria. (GreekForeignMinistry)

Ps at least, someone is ‘concerned’…

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13 comments

  1. You still dont get it, do you. Vienna is not trying to cut the Balkan route, Vienna is trying to re-impose the Dublin treaty and the Schengen treaty exactly like it was agreed at the last week EU summit. The result of it being Greece sitting on thousands of illegal migrants – unless Greece finally starts doing what it has to do…

    …PROTECT ITS BORDERS (in other words: respect european law, specifically Dublin and Schengen treaty)!

    • Mindless nonsense. The only solution for the EU is to sanction rogue states, and take it to the European Court. If they don’t do something to control the illegal behaviour of Austria and Hungary, then the EU will just collapse.
      ~
      Greece should not co-operate with the EU until the EU enforces the agreements and laws across the continent. I also think that Greece should threaten to denounce the 1951 convention and call for a meeting of the UN security council over the refugee crisis. This shit from stupid little CEE countries has to be stopped.

    • Giaourti Giaourtaki

      Vienna is bribed by Slovenian port authorities to cut off Piraeus and the only thing it will achieve again after 25 years is another Balkan war as it makes the balls of “Macedonian” nationalists get to be big like balloons.
      Hungary, Poland aso are at the same democratic level like Russia and Turkey that needs bombs and Merkel to win elections

    • Would be nice to be able to think in realistic terms. Just tell us how to protect sea borders. You erect a fence or a wall? Or maybe you shoot at refugees?

    • Please tell us if you are willing to offer basic humanitarian assistance to refugees.
      Do you care for them?

  2. Greece itself(!) is one of several countries heavily neglecting european law. Exactly the opposite, Hungary is respecting european treaties and Austria is on its best way to do the same! You dont know what you are talking about…

    • This is for Xenos.

      • If it weren’t for the threat to my privacy, I would direct you to some of my books and research publications on European law and migration (including research commissioned by the EU), on Schengen, on international law, on illegal migration in the Mediterranean, and various other related issues.
        ~
        So, let me repeat for the hard of thinking: Greece is one of the few countries adhering to international and European law. This is even stated by Frontex and the European Commission, despite Greece’s quite serious problems with registering as many as 10,000 refugees per day arriving over 40 locations including remote islands.
        ~
        Slovakia, like the rest of CEE, does nothing to help. In fact, it does its best to hinder and broadcast hate speech against Islamic refugees — in defiance of EU laws. So, kindly stop posting your shit here: it is begining to smell quite bad.

    • huh? I thought you were …Slovak lol

  3. It looks like you can do this but not in my “back door”