Greek prime minister slams Germany over new border controls

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has criticized the German government's decision to reintroduce broad border checks.

The answer to irregular migration cannot be to "unilaterally abolish" the Schengen area, Mitsotakis said on the news programme Talk Radio.

The Schengen area allows some 420 million people in 29 European countries to travel freely without facing border controls.

However, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has ordered checks on all the country's borders from Monday.

Mitsotakis said Greece is fulfilling its obligations as a member of the European Union with external borders.

The prime minister also rejected allegations that Athens is employing illegal pushbacks to deter migrants from reaching the country via Turkey.

"The Greek coastguard has rescued thousands of people, and it is insulting to spread conspiracy theories," Mitsotakis stated.

The Greek government has not yet clearly stated how it would react if German authorities request to return more migrants who have been granted asylum in Greece.