Mitsotakis Rejects Evros Allegations, Dismisses Türkiye Objections on Karpathos

By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis rejected allegations of migrant pushbacks toward Türkiye at the Evros border and dismissed Ankara’s reported objections to a Patriot deployment on Karpathos, setting out a firm Greek position on both migration and security.

Speaking after the European Council, Mitsotakis said he had “no knowledge” of claims that Greek authorities used migrants to push others back toward Türkiye. He did not engage with the substance of the allegations, instead framing the issue as part of a broader European policy shift.

“The European Union will not repeat the mistakes of 2015,” he said, adding that Greece “protects its borders” and that he would “not apologize” for these policies.

The question, raised by the BBC, directly referenced practices at the Evros frontier, a long standing flashpoint in Greece–Türkiye migration tensions. Mitsotakis’s response signals that Athens is maintaining its current enforcement line despite renewed scrutiny.

On the security front, Mitsotakis also addressed reports that Türkiye had sent letters to NATO, the European Union and the United States regarding the deployment of a Greek Patriot battery to Karpathos.

He rejected the claims outright.

“These assertions are legally unfounded,” he said. “Greece does not negotiate with anyone the deployment of its defense forces at the operational level.”

The remarks combine two sensitive tracks in Greece–Türkiye relations. On Evros, Athens continues to frame migration control as a matter of EU border protection rather than rights compliance. On Karpathos, it draws a clear line on military sovereignty, signaling no willingness to discuss force posture under external pressure.