Steinmeier: Refugee crisis causing emergency situation in Greece

Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticized the unilateral actions that resulted in the closure of the Balkan route.

In his interview the German official underlined that the decisions of the other Balkan countries to close their borders has caused in an emergency situation in Greece. Mr. Steinmeier underlined that it is unacceptable for European countries to overcome their problems by putting another European partner in a state of need.

He also supported the recent EU-Turkey agreement, otherwise there would be up to 100,000 people stranded on the Greece-FYROM border, trying to survive in the adverse conditions. The focus, he explained, should be on Europe’s external borders.

Although Mr. Steinmeier was cautious that it remains to be seen whether this agreement will be implemented and to what extent, he pointed out that it was a step in the right direction for greater control and the restriction of irregular immigration.