The government amendment temporarily suspending asylum applications of migrants from Africa is not unconstitutional, Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis said during the debate in Parliament on Thursday.

"For us, there are no open borders. There are controlled borders, where the priority is to protect Greek citizens. We take care so that we are in agreement both with the constitution and with International Laws and European laws, and in any every case, Greek citizens will always be our priority," Gerapetritis said, in supporting arguments. 

He added that the amendment's content is exactly the same as the legislative act of 2020, when Greece was under a direct hybrid threat, therefore the draft law implements that existing regulation.

The FM also underlined that the draft law aimed at discouraging the use of the southern corridor of migration (from the coast of North Africa), and had it worked when applied in 2020. Then he asked opposition parties, "But what is your position? Is your position open borders, have everyone come, then assess whether there is a humanitarian crisis? Greece is a frontline country, it is not Luxembourg or Norway." 

Two-thirds of those who arrive in Greece do not need humanitarian assistance, Gerapetritis said, and warned of a repeat of the massive surge of migration flows in 2015, when Greece received 1.2 million migrants. The policy of waiting to see the threat of massive inflows become reality "is not policy, but a major high-risk mistake." The phenomenon developing now could easily get out of control, he warned.

Gerapetritis called on political parties to reach an agreement on the following - first, that Greece does not assume a disproportionate burden in relation to migration flows; second, that a message reaches the human traffickers to stop taking advantage of human pain; and third, that in an extremely unstable world, Greece has an obligation to be fortified.