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Roundup: Greece announces immediate plan to address refugee crisis

Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

The need for support and solidarity towards Greece over the critical refugee issue that has taken uncontrollable dimensions was highlighted by Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos during their visit here on Thursday.

"Everyone with soul has been shocked by the images of the baby we saw yesterday at the Turkish shore. Thousands of refugees arrive first at Greece. We are here, to discuss with the Greek government the best way that we can quickly implement the decisions that are necessary for us to be able to assist financially and with people and material so as the situation becomes better," Timmermans said.

The European officials took part in a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou and four ministers in order to set up a coordinating center in Piraeus to accelerate the management of the migration flow.

On Friday, they will visit Kos, one of the Aegean islands that has received a vast number of migrants and refugees.

At the same time, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos stressed that the refugee crisis is Europe's responsibility as he received the chief of the International Organization for Migration in Greece Daniel Esdra.

"Nobody has the right to ignore this image which shows that we are not only unprepared in these hours, but that we did not make arrangements to face the problem together," Pavlopoulos pointed out regarding the image of the drowned bodies of two toddlers that were found at the shores of Turkey in Bodrum on Wednesday.

As the country has received a massive refugee and migration influx of 230,000 people so far this year, Greece's caretaker government announced an immediate plan of relief measures to address the refugee crisis on the Aegean islands during a press conference on Thursday.

According to Greek caretaker Economy Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, Greek islands receiving the bulk of immigrants will be economically supported.

Among the measures the Greek government will implement immediately are the creation of a refugees flow coordination management center, actions for the improvement of the conditions in the existing reception centers as well as the speeding up of the identification procedures of those migrants entitled to international protection that arrive in Greece.

Moreover, the procedures for direct development of the existing European programs for solidarity along with community funds are activated and the absorption of the available resources from the recovery and support programs will be accelerated to ease the pressure on the Aegean islands' societies. Endit