Author: Pulse Assent

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece to Downing Street for the first time. The Prime Minister noted that the friendship between the UK and Greece goes back centuries and is stronger today than it ever has been with millions of British citizens travelling to Greece every year. She thanked Prime Minister Tsipras for the warm welcome given to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on their recent visit to Athens and Crete.

The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Tsipras on the progress made by the Greek economy and the important steps taken last week towards Greece’s exit from the economic adjustment programme in August. The leaders agreed that as the Greek economy continues to recover, there is potential for deeper business links in the energy, tourism, education and shipping sectors.

They discussed the issues that Greece faces with illegal migration and agreed that this is a shared challenge that requires a co-ordinated and comprehensive response including through the continued implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement. The Prime Minister said that the UK would continue to play its part in supporting a sustainable solution after we leave the EU. She said that the UK would send an additional Border Force cutter to the Aegean to carry out vital search and rescue operations.

The Prime Minister updated Prime Minister Tsipras on the continuing progress that the UK and EU have made on issues relating to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. They agreed that a deep and comprehensive future partnership on trade and security was in the interests of the UK, the EU and EU Member States including Greece.

They discussed regional issues and agreed on the importance of encouraging further steps towards a settlement in Cyprus. Prime Minister Tsipras welcomed the constructive role the UK had played in the talks so far as one of the guarantors. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to welcome the historic agreement reached on the longstanding Name Issue with Greece’s Northern Neighbour and the benefits this will bring to regional stability.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Tsipras discussed relations between Turkey and Greece agreeing that continued dialogue was vital in ensuring regional stability.

Finally, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for the international community to uphold the rules based international system including by calling out and responding to malign activity by Russia.

Prime Minister Theresa May has today announced that an additional Border Force cutter will be deployed to the Aegean to assist with vital search and rescue operations which have already saved more than 13,000 lives.

The Prime Minister made the announcement at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Downing Street. The leaders are expected to discuss ways in which to strengthen co-operation on managing illegal migration and enhance efforts to implement the EU-Turkey statement in the face of continuing migratory pressures.
The EU-Turkey statement, signed in March 2016, is a key part of the strategy to tackle illegal migration in this region. The agreement aims, through returns, to break the link between making the illegal and dangerous journey across the Aegean and remaining in Europe.

In addition to the cutter, it was also announced that the UK will be providing additional interpreters to ease pressures on the Greek islands and support the most vulnerable.

Aside from the search and rescue role, cutters and their crew are ideally placed to spot signs of organised immigration crime, which can provide vital intelligence for law enforcement partners.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:

Today’s announcement is a strong symbol of the will of both governments to work together to tackle the challenges posed by illegal migration and maintain the momentum of the EU-Turkey agreement.

It builds on the vital humanitarian work already carried out by Border Force cutters in both the Mediterranean and the Aegean, often done in extremely challenging circumstances.

The meeting between the two prime ministers today is just the start of a process which will develop specific areas of co-operation, supported by an action plan which I will be taking forward.

At the EU-Turkey summit held on 7 March 2016, the UK agreed with EU leaders and Turkey that all illegal migrants crossing from Turkey into the Greek islands would be returned to Turkey. In return, the EU agreed that for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian from Turkey would be resettled in the EU. The implementation of the statement has contributed to the significant reduction of flows in the eastern Mediterranean and its ongoing effective implementation remains vital to see lasting impact in this region.

The additional Border Force cutter will work alongside HMC Valiant which was deployed to support the search and rescue operation ‘Op Poseidon’ in May 2015, as part of an agreement with the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Border Force cutters are equipped with maritime radar and rigid hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) and are capable of rescuing several migrant boats at the same time, with sometimes over 200 people rescued in a single mission.
Cutters are just one part of the Border Force maritime capability which protects the UK coastline. In UK waters, Border Force also has a fleet of coastal patrol vessels, which are used to patrol ports and marinas.