Avramopoulos: Greece offers stability in region, EU will support it

Following talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday, European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos described Greece as a pillar of stability in the region and expressed his conviction that the EU would continue to support it.

Describing the current migration influxes into Greece as "under control," Avramopoulos noted however that authorities need to be "better prepared for the future."

"Greece is a significant pillar of stability in the broader region," the commissioner said, adding that migration remains "a big issue" and will be treated with the utmost seriousness by Brussels.

"Greece is not alone," he said, noting that the country had experienced "difficult times" at the peak of the migration crisis in 2015, before the signing of a deal between the EU and Ankara 2016, but that the management of flows "will be even more effective in the future."

"The Greece that displayed solidarity and a responsible stance is here, and the European Commission is by her side," he said.

As regards the increasingly aggressive tactics of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, Avramopoulos noted that cooperation with Turkey is "necessary" and "with good intentions, it will bring results."