UK Delegation engages with Greek counterparts on migration and bilateral issues
From 9th-12th May, a BGIPU delegation visited Greece looking to further strengthen bilateral relations and gain a better understanding of the Greek political system. The delegation was led by Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, who was joined by Chris Bryant MP, Derek Twigg MP and Angus MacNeil MP. Both the Hellenic Parliament and the British Embassy in Athens pulled together an excellent programme of meetings and activities for the delegation to gain a well-rounded overview of the current political, economic and social environment in Greece.
The programme commenced on the Tuesday morning with a breakfast briefing with Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, Matthew Lodge. The Ambassador provided an overarching view of the country and the UK’s relationship with Greece. This was followed by a meeting with Mr Manos Logothetis, the Secretary General for the Reception of Asylum Seekers. This was the first of four meetings focussing on the key theme of migration. Mr Logothetis presented the views of the Hellenic Government on how the system was functioning. The delegation was then briefed by some members of the Department for International Trade and the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce on the state of UK-Greek trade and investment. An interesting discussion about the state of global affairs was conducted over a working lunch with foreign policy contacts from the Institute of International Relations, Kathimerini Defence, and the University of Athens. After lunch, the delegation had the opportunity to hear from Medecins Sans Frontiers on the situation on the ground for migrants in Greece. They were then invited to an evening reception hosted by HMA Athens, where they met a wide range of guests, from local musicians to academics.
Day 2 began with a briefing from UNHCR Representative, Ms Maria-Clara Martin delving deeper into the situation for migrants transiting through Greece. Following this, the delegation moved to the Hellenic Parliament to begin the official parliamentary programme. A meeting with the UK-Greece Friendship Group, followed by a meeting with representatives from various parliamentary committees provided an excellent opportunity for the delegation to meet their Greek counterparts and discuss issues of mutual concern such as the war in Ukraine. The delegation then moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where they met the Director General of European Affairs, focussing on how to deepen UK-Greek ties post-Brexit.
Day 3 commenced with a final meeting on migration with Mr Gianlucca Rocco, Chief of the Greek Mission at the International Organisation on Migration. This ended the discussions on migration which were well-rounded with a variety of viewpoints shared with the delegation. From the IOM, the delegation returned to the Hellenic Parliament where they received a tour of the building which included an art exhibition to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence. The final meeting of the visit was with Ms Kefalogianni, head of Greece’s IPU Group. A lunch with Ms Kefalogianni and other Members of Parliament then concluded the UK delegation’s visit to Greece.
BGIPU would like to thank the Hellenic Parliament and the British Embassy in Athens for their hospitality and for putting on an excellent visit for UK Members.
Members of Parliament, Derek Twigg MP and Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP shared some reflections from the visit:
Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP
It was an honour to lead the first in person BGIPU delegation to the Hellenic Parliament since the onset of Covid. We were exceptionally well looked after both by the BGIPU staff and by the staff at HM Embassy, Athens, who put on a comprehensive, informative and enjoyable programme. The opportunity to meet fellow parliamentarians in person is an invaluable part of our work fostering greater understanding and friendship between our two Parliaments. I hope that we can host a reciprocal delegation from the Hellenic Parliament in Westminster in the near future.
We held a number of meetings regarding the topic of migration. Migrants heading towards the UK often start the European leg of their journey in Greece and it is therefore important that we understand the work that Greece is doing and how we might best work together to tackle this global problem. The meeting with the UNHCR helped me to see where focus on international agreements that would enable easier returns could make a positive difference to this problem – a problem that affects the whole world.
There are obvious shared issues – cost of living, the impact of COVID-19, climate change, the war in Ukraine and migration to name just a few. Greece’s geographic location means that the war is closer and more immediate than perhaps in the UK. It was clear from our meetings that Greece values our very old and deep friendship – we were one of the three countries, along with France and Russia, that helped Greece to gain its independence 200 years ago and that closeness has continued with 1 in 6 of all Greek people have been educated in the UK. However, Brexit does mean that we will have to work hard to maintain those links. Greek children are now looking towards the Netherlands and Sweden for higher education given the higher level of fees levied in the UK. The absence of regular conversations at EU councils also puts up a hurdle, which means that the diplomatic team have to work harder than ever to maintain the relationship. There are also very strong military links with France, which could impact our relationship. I would urge a cross Government effort to make sure that we build on the historic links with one of our oldest allies today.
Derek Twigg MP
We were blessed with good weather and received a warm welcome throughout our visit. Clearly, despite our exit from the EU, relations with the Greeks are still very good.
A good part of our visit was taken up with the issue of migration and while it continues to be a challenge for the Greeks it is not on the scale we saw a few years ago. There remained an underlying concern that Turkey could again use migration as a weapon for political purposes and “encourage” more refugees to seek entry into Europe across the Greek border from Turkey. We learnt that people smuggling in small boats was not just the preserve of well organised criminal gangs, some refugees where actually involved in smuggling using small boats and even jet skis.
At meeting with Médecins Sans Frontières they raised concerns about the conditions in some refugee camps. While things had improved there were still concerns not least around the safety of women. They strongly made the point that all European countries need to abide by international law regarding the treatment and processing of refugees. Ironically, while the Greeks do not encourage refugees to stay in Greece but to move on, they have a significant shortage of workers in the hospitality and agricultural sector!
We had several meetings with the Members of the Hellenic Parliament that were very friendly and again underlined the close and warm relationship between our two countries. We all agreed on the need for Europe to remain strong and united in our response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Greek politicians made clear that despite the UK leaving the EU we remain of their most important partners. Concerns about Turkey were raised a number of times during our meetings, especially about Turkish aircraft venturing into Greek airspace. The Greeks continue to be very wary about Turkish actions. At the end of the visit we were given an excellent tour of the exhibition in the Parliament building, marking the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence to free Greece from Ottoman rule.
The UK delegation met a wide range of parliamentary counterparts in Athens
The Head of the UK Delegation, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP speaks at the UK Ambassador's residence
UK Delegation meets the head of the Greek IPU Group, Ms Olga Kefalogianni
