Meeting on migration yields little progress
A meeting between Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis and officials from the three Greek Aegean islands hosting the largest number of refugees and migrants concluded with an initiative to hold regular meetings to examine developments on the islands and inform them on the government’s plans.
However differences remained between the two sides on how to tackle the overcrowding in the camps.
Coming out of a meeting with the regional governor for the Northern Aegean, Kostas Moutzouris, and the mayors of Lesvos, Chios and Samos, Mitarakis said the two sides agree on the need to built closed, pre-departure centres on the islands, but disagree on their capacity and operation.
“There is a need for concrete confidence-building measures between the central government and the islands, which will be a top priority in the coming days,” he told journalists.
“There will be a regular meeting every two weeks with the regional governor and the mayors so that the situation can be fully recorded,” he added.
The minister reiterated that the government’s goal is to limit arrivals on the islands, which is shared by local government.
The representatives delivered a petition for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling for a swift resolution to the problem, as protests continued on the islands.
