Greece will deploy Navy warships at the international waters off Libya to prevent the flow of migrants, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated beginning of the week.
Expressing his “considerable concern” about the increased flows of undocumented migrants from Libya to Crete, the Premier said “unfortunately, we have seen several incidents in recent days that force us to act in a preventive and deterrent manner more strongly.”
“I have asked, also in the context of a meeting of the Council of Ministers for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the Minister of National Defense and the leadership of the armed forces to ensure that Hellenic Navy ships are deployed outside of Libya’s territorial waters so that, preventively and always in cooperation with the Libyan authorities and the other European forces, we can send a message that the smugglers are not going to dictate who enters our country,” Mitsotakis said adding “I think it is a move that is necessary under the current circumstances and obviously the issue of Libya will be raised by me with great urgency at the European Council and I believe that there will be relevant conclusions that will fully cover the Greek positions.”
State broadcaster ERT reported that there is a 260% increase of migrant flows from Libya to Crete since the beginning of 2025, with a total of 7,076 people to have arrived on the island between January 1 and end of June.
However, New Democracy MP and former EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos voiced on Friday reservations about the government’s intention to deploy Greek warships outside Libya’s territorial waters to address rising migration flows toward Crete, warning that such measures risk humanitarian and legal consequences.
Speaking on Action 24 TV on Thursday night, Avramopoulos, who also served as foreign and defense minister, acknowledged the increase in arrivals via the Eastern Mediterranean route, particularly toward southern Greece, but cautioned against over-reliance on military deterrence. “The flows will not stop,” he said, pointing to Europe’s current weakness in addressing the broader migration challenge.
“I don’t know if deploying a fleet will be effective,” he stated. “Countries cannot block the boats – there is international humanitarian law, and push-backs are illegal.” He warned that if an accident occurred as a result of such actions, such as a boat sinking, the responsible country would be held liable.
“If we have another Pylos, we will be held accountable,” he added, referring to the deadly migrant shipwreck off the Peloponnese coast in 2023 in which around 560 people are believed to have drowned.
Avramopoulos advocated instead for reinforcing legal and humanitarian structures, urging the government to focus on creating specialized reception centers where asylum applications can be thoroughly processed. However, he acknowledged the limitations of the system, noting that even rejected asylum seekers cannot easily be returned. “Returns cannot begin because no country wants to accept its nationals back,” he added.
