Alt. FM Xydakis: 'The Dublin Treaty is obviously fruitless'

Xydakis noted that Greece believes that the "hotspots" for reception and identification of refugees should be in Turkey and the refugees to be able to be allocated to the reception countries, according to the quotas.

"We must not leave the refugees to get into boats to cross the Aegean, because it is something that carries the risk of drowning and on the other hand it supports the trafficking network," he said and denied that the countries are pressed to open Evros river crossing. "There is no such issue," he said and referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's position that the Dublin Treaty should change he noted: "It is natural for us to be interested in a new adjustement of the treaties because the Dublin Treaty is obviously fruitless."

"Greece has longstanding proposals on a change in the Dublin Treaty because the readmission conditions are against our country and because we are the recipients of a huge inflow of refugees and migrants," he stressed and expressed the opinion that "EU bilateral agreements with Turkey and Pakistan are not followed and Europe does not implement effective readmission channels for economic migrants. The migrants' countries of origin should accept an agreement on union level," he underlined.

Asked on the archaeological excavation in ancient Amphipolis (Xydakis was former Culture Minister), he noted: "The case of Amphipolis is now on the right course, the importance of the monument is recognised by all." He added that "the arguments should remain among the scientists and on scientific level the debate should be held with documentations and not over-interpretations that excite and stimulate the expectations of the people and in parallel the state must ensure the restoration and promotion of the monument as well as the fund and condition for a serious and documentated scientific research."