Migrant crisis: Greece will not be turned into a 'warehouse of souls,' says Tsipras

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Migrant crisis: Greece will not be turned into a 'warehouse of souls,' says Tsipras



"What we refuse to do is accept the transformation of our country into a permanent warehouse of souls and, at the same time, continue to act within the European Union and at summits as if there's nothing wrong"

ATHENS: -- With migrant numbers stacking up in Greece, there’s tough talk from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

He says Athens will block future European Union agreements, if member states don’t do more to share the burden of the crisis.

Migrants are now getting trapped in Greece because of tougher border checks elsewhere.

Tsipras has made his position clear in the parliament.

“Some nations do not seem to comprehend that agreements, our common agreements, are either implemented, or there are no agreements,” said Tsipras.

“What we refuse to do is accept the transformation of our country into a permanent warehouse of souls and, at the same time, continue to act within the European Union and at summits as if there’s nothing wrong.”

Tsipras has been meeting the top UN official for refugees, who is deploring the closing of borders.

Filippo Grandi has been on a fact-finding visit to Greece.

“We disagree with these measures and call once again for cooperation,” Grandi told Tsipras.

“The problem is we have called for cooperation for a long time now and we don’t get a response. So we need to find a convincing way to do it.”

Meanwhile, Austria has been hosting a meeting with Balkan states on the main migrant route into Europe.

It has brushed aside criticism from the EU, after setting off a so-called “domino effect” of frontier controls.

Those measures, from Austria’s border with Slovenia to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s border with Greece, are causing migrants to become stranded.

Vienna says it needs to coordinate national border controls, in the absence of European measures.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-02-25

[shirtless]

You took their money Greece now you must tow the line.

[cocorico2558]

Send them to Israel

[i claudius]

Send them to Israel

there are enough terrorists on their borders already

[Ulic]

Maybe they should return all migrants who are not Syrian to Turkey, there NATO partner

and the safe country they came from.

[NeverSure]

See ya Europe. You did this to yourselves. It took many decades to become so stupid one step at a time with a loss of borders and people lying to you about "inclusiveness" and degrading the importance of national borders. You are being overwhelmed by extreme religious zealots and some are mass killers. They will out-breed you until your national leaders are named Muhammad.

Absolutely, it is too late to go back. It's over. The seeds of destruction of Europe are well planted. It's just unbelievably stupid from one end to the other.

Europe is finished. Stop whining. You asked for it.

[sanukjim]

Hey Greece , Let the immigrants come in as you accept the EU's money.After a couple of decades of inter breeding with the Greek people Greece just might end up with a populates of people that are willing to work and pay their taxes.WOW ,what a change to actually be a working part of the EU.

[zzo]

The EU did not control the borders. Greece needed help. They have destroyed more than three islands. The only thing that would have stopped them would have been bullets. The Middle East Knows how soft Western powers are. This is their big chance to

Invade with the bleeding hearts welcoming them. 100 years from now everyone in Europe will be saying, "What were they thinking?"