-5D. Consultations held and cooperation encountered 7. Following the visit, on 23 March 2020, Mykola Gnatovskyy, the President of the CPT, held an exchange of views by videoconference with Notis Mitarachi, Minister for Immigration and Asylum, and his Alternate Minister, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, on the findings of the CPT’s delegation. Prior to that, on 18 March 2020, telephone conversations had taken place with Police Lieutenant General Michail Karamalakis, Chief of the Hellenic Police and other senior officials of the Hellenic Police, and a letter outlining urgent concerns had been addressed to Michalis Chrisochoidis, Minister of Citizen Protection. The CPT’s delegation also held consultations with UNHCR representatives in Athens and in the field, as well as with non-governmental organisations active in areas falling within the CPT’s mandate. 8. The CPT notified the Greek authorities of its intention to visit the country less than 48 hours in advance and it appreciated the cooperation of the Hellenic Police and the Ministry of Citizen Protection in providing its delegation with credentials and a liaison officer within this time period. With a few exceptions, the CPT’s delegation received generally very good cooperation from the staff at the establishments visited. It enjoyed access to all the places it wished to visit, none of which had been notified in advance, was provided with the information necessary for carrying out its task and was able to speak in private with persons deprived of their liberty. The exceptions concerned a very few Hellenic Police officers at the Filakio RIC and in Samos who did not understand the mandate of the CPT and who attempted to hinder the delegation from carrying out its work. 9. Of much greater concern, however, is that the liaison arrangements put in place did not operate in an effective manner, notably because senior liaison officers from other relevant Ministries were not appointed. It was particularly disappointing that no Coast Guard contact point was provided, despite repeated requests by the CPT before and during the visit.8 The CPT has in the past stressed the importance of having liaison officers from the relevant ministries and services responsible for the places of deprivation of liberty that may be visited by the Committee, and/or from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are able to carry out effectively the liaison functions. These liaison officers must be in a position to respond to any request from the CPT’s delegation or to relay it to the appropriate authority. For example, a visit to Greece regarding migration matters will inevitably require communication with the Hellenic Police, Coast Guard and Ministry for Migration Policy in addition to other authorities such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the General Prosecutor. For the CPT’s delegation, the liaison officers appointed by the Hellenic Police for the March 2020 visit were considered as being responsible for addressing all matters arising throughout the visit. Their duty was to ensure that any immediate observations raised were relayed to the relevant authorities for action and a response provided to the delegation. In this context, the CPT considers that the Greek authorities failed in their obligations under Article 3 of the Convention under which 8 For example, the CPT’s delegation was initially hindered in visiting the Coast Guard premises in Samos due to Coast Guard officials lacking any knowledge of the CPT’s mandate.