Greece Says Refugees Are Not Enemies, Refuses to Protect Borders From Them

Greece does not consider migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Europe via Greece a security threat but part of a humanitarian crisis, Greece Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Mouzalas accused Europe of responding slowly to the migrant crisis and said Greece's job was to rescue migrants, not drown or repel them when they are in the country's territorial waters.

"Greece can guard its borders perfectly and has been doing so for thousands of years, but against its enemies; the refugees are not our enemies," Mouzalas said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Greek authorities are facing criticism from Germany, Hungary and other European nations over its passive stance on migration during a refugee summit in Brussels expected later in the day.

According to Mouzalas, the country's overall expenses on the migrant crisis during the past 18 months have reached 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion).

Greece is a transit country for refugees from the Middle East and North Africa fleeing poverty and violence.

The number of migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea this year to arrive in Greece is 15 times higher than in 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.