Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his hardline stance on immigration upon arriving at the EU summit in Brussels. Building on the rhetoric of his newly appointed Minister for Migration and Asylum, Makis Voridis, who has openly supported forced pushbacks, Mitsotakis stated: "Anyone entering our country illegally and who has not been granted asylum—meaning they are not under international protection—should be sent back to the country they came from."

At the beginning of his speech, Mitsotakis welcomed the presence of the UN Secretary-General at the summit, saying:

“Allow me to begin by acknowledging the fact that the UN Secretary-General will be joining us this afternoon. On this occasion, I would like to express my satisfaction with the outcome of the Geneva five-day meeting.”

He went on to highlight Greece and Cyprus’ efforts to keep discussions on the Cyprus reunification plan alive within the framework of UN resolutions.

On military spending, Mitsotakis reaffirmed his longstanding position on boosting defence budgets. He praised the European Commission’s recent White Paper, which incorporates key Greek proposals and will shape future EU policy. He specifically pointed to:

  • The need for fiscal flexibility to allow member states to increase defence investments.
  • The creation of a €150 billion European defence fund to finance strategic defence projects.
  • Strengthening European strategic autonomy by ensuring that such spending benefits EU nations or strategic partners.

“This is yet another important step toward European strategic autonomy—a long-standing Greek position that is now being vindicated,” he claimed.

On migration, Mitsotakis signalled support for even tougher policies, in line with recent remarks by his migration minister. He stressed that the proposed Returns Regulation aligns with Greece’s position, prioritising both border protection and the swift return of migrants who are denied asylum to their countries of origin.

“We are awaiting the revised list of safe countries of origin, which will enable us to act more swiftly. I have made it clear to the new leadership at the Ministry of Migration that anyone who enters illegally and is not granted asylum must be sent back. It is now more important than ever to have European legal mechanisms that support this approach,” he concluded.

His remarks came just days after Greece’s newly appointed Minister of Migration and Asylum, Makis Voridis, used extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric of hate, referring to “forced pushbacks.” He argued that Greece needs effective policies, including ones that would pressure migrants into wanting to leave the country.

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