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[Alexandros Avramidis\/Intime News]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended his government\u2019s \u201ccalm waters\u201d policy towards Turkey, saying it has already yielded practical results, lowering tensions with the neighboring country.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur foreign policy, above all, consolidates peace and justice in the region. Our goal \u2013 and we have achieved it \u2013 is to restore a functional relationship with our neighbors, with Turkey,\u201d he told New Democracy members at the party\u2019s pre-conference in Thessaloniki on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis policy has practical results. Fewer violations in our airspace, smaller migratory flows, but also more visitors from Turkey who strengthen the local markets of our islands. These are tangible elements that also respond to the hypocritical voices of those who question the choice of calm waters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalm waters, my friends, mean free waters, waters in which International Law prevails and waters that will always remain blue and peaceful, the colors, that is, of our flag and our sovereign rights. After all, with this policy, since 2019, Greece has been growing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The prime minister went on to defend the government\u2019s tough stance on migration, saying its twofold goal to reduce flows and increase returns have been achieved.<\/p>\n
Regarding the border fence built by the government along the Evros river, he said it has been expanded to cover 75 kilometers to cover the \u201cmost difficult sections\u201d of the border line with Turkey.
\u201cAs for those who called the fence a symbol of division, I answer them here, from Thessaloniki: For us, the fence is a symbol of sovereignty, we do not need any permission to guard our home. And neither do we apologize when we enforce the law,\u201d he told party members, and went on to criticize the previous left-wing government for what he said was lax border control.
\u201cWe will not do you the favor of returning to a time when the seas had no borders and you built Moria and Idomeni,\u201d Mitsotakis said, referring to a now-closed, overcrowded detention facility for arriving migrants in Lesvos, and a sprawling, unofficial camp in northern Greece which closed in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to prevent those who traffic in human suffering. We will not let traffickers take command and decide who will enter our country. With a New Democracy government, Greece will never again become a free-for-all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n