The leaders of nine Mediterranean EU member states will meet on Friday in Paphos, amid critical developments in the Middle East.
The MED9 Summit (Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Croatia, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia) will take place shortly before the European Council which will take place from 17 to 18 October in Brussels.
The summit is expected to provide the platform for the first highest-level debate on next week’s European Council agenda. It should be noted that King Abdullah of Jordan will also be present to discuss with MED9 leaders the latest developments in the Middle East, as well as EU-Jordan relations.
Southern leaders’ discussion agenda includes regional developments, while the issue of migration will also be discussed.
What messages will the Greek Prime Minister send?
According to government sources, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to emphasize the need to coordinate the European Union’s role in developments in the Middle East at the MED9 Summit. Regarding migration, Mitsotakis will reiterate the importance of protecting the EU’s external borders and strengthening frontline countries, the importance of returns and cooperation with third countries, while also underlining the need to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Remember that recently Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to migration, highlighting that the answer cannot be the unilateral abolition of Schengen. On the Greek side, it is emphasized that there must be a fair distribution of the burden on migration and that the problem cannot be transferred to the first receiving countries.
Anxiety in Athens over events in the Middle East
Athens is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East. In a recent interview, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, stressed that “we all understand that the consequences of a general escalation in the region will be disastrous”, while highlighting that “only the threat that there may be energy and oil targets in the Iran led to rising oil prices. There is a risk of increased migration flows. There is certainly a risk of having another humanitarian crisis.”
Regarding the issue of migration, Greece’s objective is to continue cooperation with Ankara in order to ensure that there will be no increase in flows. In fact, the issue was discussed in September, at the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, although it is expected to be raised at the next meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in November.
At the same time, emphasis is placed on strengthening the country’s armor. Regarding the Evros fence, the Prime Minister recently highlighted that “this barrier does not just protect Greek borders, it protects European borders and must receive European funding”. He also highlighted that “in any case, we will build it with European or national resources, but it is fair that the burden of guarding the borders is shared fairly”.