It was a pleasure to welcome Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday as the guest of honor at the Salzburg Festival. This morning, an intensive working exchange followed.
Austria and Greece are connected by far more than just culture and tourism: We also stand closely together on decisive European future issues – in the fight against illegal migration, in the EU enlargement to include the Western Balkan states, and in strengthening our competitiveness.
On the topic of migration, our two countries have jointly made a significant contribution to the turnaround in Europe. Greece is achieving enormous feats at the EU’s external border; we support this effort with Austrian FRONTEX staff. The new EU Asylum Pact enables us to establish Return Hubs in third countries. Together, we have the goal of creating the first return center as early as 2027.
Thank you for your visit and the good talks. Together, we are working toward a strong, united, and resilient Europe. (BK)
: Christian Stocker
Chancellor of Austria