President Pavlopoulos urges UN to pressure Turkey to implement deal on migration
Pavlopoulos thanked Ban for handling the refugee issue with a humanism and solidarity that meets UN principles. “And let this be our common message today, ahead of World Refugee Day, which is on Monday, June 20,” he said. He also stressed the importance of the EU-Turkey deal saying it has to be implemented and also urged EU states to do their part.
He also mentioned the Cyprus issue, saying it has to be resolved based on the decisions of the Security Council, the principles of international law and the European acquis, noting it is “unthinkable” to keep guarantor powers on the island once the issue has been resolved.
On his side, Ban hailed Greece’s role in the refugee crisis, saying the country has been at the forefront of the problem and shown “solidarity of global scale”, despite its economic and social problems.
He also spoke of his visit to Lesvos on Saturday, saying he will have the opportunity to see first-hand the situation, while he noted the hard efforts of the volunteers he met at the Athens Solidarity Center earlier in the day.