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.
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.
