WIREDGOV

Speaking in Amsterdam on Saturday at an informal meeting with the foreign ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, foreign minister Bert Koenders argued that Greece needed more support for its fellow EU member states to deal effectively with the migration crisis.

Minister Koenders 

‘Greece is facing a massive influx of migrants and refugees. The numbers are so high that no one country can possibly cope with the situation on its own,’ Mr Koenders said. ‘This is why we need to help Greece bring the situation under control.’ The minister believes that the other EU countries should make more capacity available to Greece to support the authorities there in accommodating migrants and registering and processing asylum applications.

This support is also necessary so the Greeks can comply with their obligations under the Dublin Regulation, which stipulates which member state must process an asylum application. ‘We cannot send refugees back to Greece because the country simply isn’t capable of accommodating them. This situation has to be improved,’ Mr Koenders said.

The Netherlands is supporting Greece in a number of ways, for example with a border control team on the island Chios. ‘All EU member states have to shoulder their responsible when it comes to maintaining the security of their external borders,’ said the minister. ‘This also means assisting countries with an external border in securing that border.’

The migration issue is a top priority of the Dutch EU Presidency. Mr Koenders acknowledged that this would require close cooperation with the other member states and countries along the western Balkans route. Some countries are already tightening up their border controls on their own initiative. ‘Although I understand this tendency, I’m convinced that joint European solutions are necessary to confront this shared problem,’ Mr Koenders remarked.

Minister Koenders and Federica Mogherini - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 

The migration crisis also came up later in the day at an informal session of the Foreign Affairs Council (Gymnich) involving all 28 EU foreign ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This two-day meeting was held at the Maritime Museum.

Concerns about offensive on Aleppo

‘It was an important meeting,’ Mr Koenders affirmed, ‘especially now that Europe is being confronted with so many challenges that are all demanding our attention.’ The minister also expressed his great concern about the new refugee flows triggered by the large-scale offensive on the Syrian city Aleppo. ‘It’s no coincidence that the attacks by the Assad regime, with Russian support, are taking place at the very moment that a tentative start has been made with peace talks in Geneva. This bombing is meant to create a new reality on the ground that favours the Assad regime,’ Mr Koenders said.

He is concerned about the humanitarian impact of the attacks on Aleppo, which will only lead to more displaced persons and refugees. Thousands of people are trying to flee to Turkey.

Mr Koenders has stressed that people who have been forced to take flight must be accommodated. ‘We can’t just allow this to happen. A political resolution to the Syrian conflict is the only way to resolve the refugee crisis.’ Mr Koenders has called for swift talks between Russia and the United States to bring about de-escalation.