Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis addressed the ongoing refugee crisis in the aftermath of ISIL’s attacks in Paris, November 13, that killed 129 people.
Over 850,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe this calendar year, with 703,000 entering through Greece. During an appearance with ABC Australia’s Q and A show, Varoufakis emphasized that the refugees crisis is not the cause for terrorism in Europe.
“There’s no doubt that when you have a massive exodus of refugees that there may very well be a couple of insurgents that infiltrate, but it’s neither here nor there. Both the terrorist attacks and the refugee influx are symptoms of the same problem. But one doesn’t cause the other. There is a correlation but there is not causation,” he said.
The former finance minister added that the fact that perpetrators of terrorist acts of the past few years, such as the London bombings, have been born in Europe shows that raising fences between national borders will not work, and will only benefit terrorists; ISIL and migrant smugglers.
Varoufakis also noted that he is proud of the Greek’s positive response to the daily influx of migrants and refugees and to people who need help.
In a separate interview with the Middle East Eye released on Monday, Varoufakis argued that the solution to eradicating ISIL (ISIS) is not bombing operations, while he added that he personally cannot see American, French, or British troops invading Syria.
“So the only solution is to starve ISIS. And what does it mean to starve them? To hit them where it hurts. And the only way to do it is by tackling Saudi Arabia and the Emirates that are supporting them. The question is, is Mr. Cameron and Mr. Obama up to the task of facing up to those regimes,” he said.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
