The repatriation of the last three Greek merchant seamen of the crews of two Greek-owned ships being detained in Djibouti has been completed. The two vessels were being detained in Djibouti due to pending financial obligations of the company to the Djibouti authorities.
The Greek merchant seamen travelled by air yesterday from Djibouti to the city of Nevşehir in south-eastern Turkey, where they were met by representatives of the Greek Embassy in Ankara.
The Embassy and the services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged for their road transport to the Kipoi border station in Evros, and from there to their homes in Greece.
The three seamen were released to return to Greece following months of coordinated efforts on the part of the Ministries of Shipping and Foreign Affairs, as well as targeted efforts on the bilateral level and in the context of the competent international organizations.
Both the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Ioannis Plakiotakis, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, through constant contacts with and letters to their counterparts, brought the situation to the attention of all involved parties and made calls for settlement of the issue of the detention of the Greek merchant seamen in Djibouti. In parallel, the Greek Embassy in Addis Ababa, as well as the Greek honorary consul and the EU Representation in Djibouti, mobilised from the very outset. Moreover, the French Embassy in Djibouti showed interest in the matter and, in recent days, the immediate response and contribution of the involved Turkish authorities, including the Turkish Embassy in Djibouti, was important.
It should be noted that the actions of the Greek side resulted in the release, in previous months, of the other two Greek seamen, of the five that remained on the vessels.
The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Ioannis Plakiotakis, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, expressed their great satisfaction at the positive outcome in the case, which lasted about seven months.
Mr. Plakiotakis said he was pleased and satisfied at the positive outcome for the three Greek seamen, underscoring that “at no point did the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Shipping abandon their coordinated efforts to repatriate the Greek seamen.”
Mr. Dendias underscored his satisfaction at the fact that “the troubles of the three Greek seamen are over, thanks to the excellent collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Shipping.” He also thanked his counterpart the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti for responding to his relevant letter of a fortnight ago, the government of Djibouti, and the European missions in Djibouti.
April 26, 2020