Greece’s agreement with Egypt for the recall of 5,000 land workers to meet needs in the primary sector was ratified by the Parliament.
“The agreement to legally recall 5,000 land workers from Egypt does not bring new immigrants to our country. It responds to the needs of farmers, puts a stop to the slave trade and expands our ties with an ally country and a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean”, pointed out Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, speaking to the Plenary of the Parliament.
In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis pointed out that the ratified Agreement “abolishes slave trade practices, which want workers to work undeclared, in miserable conditions, without being paid the correct daily wage, without health coverage and any kind of protection”. He spoke of a policy not of immigration and integration, but of re-calling workers who will come to the country legally, produce work and return back to the country of origin once they have completed it, with the right to return if they wish. “We don’t need new generations of illegal immigrants,” he said.
Finally, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that this agreement responds to the request of the agricultural world for workers, which is also agreed on by the opposition. “We are taking a first step and, if it works, we could expand to other countries and other sectors of the economy. “Greece has suffered from the problem of illegal immigration, which should not come under the grip of partisan controversies,” he concluded.
It is noted that the agreement with Egypt was ratified with the votes of New Democracy and PASOK-KINAL, while SYRIZA and MERA25 voted absent.