Interview: Europe must put an end to drownings: Mayor of Lesvos island

"I do not want more deaths and drownings," Spyros Galinos, the mayor of the Greek island of Lesvos told Xinhua in an recent interview at his office in the Town Hall in the port city of Mytilene.

As the dreadful number of deaths rises in the Aegean Sea, the voices for immediate action against the illegal traffickers and smugglers strain. Lesvos, about 260 km northeast of the capital Athens, has received the majority of the migration flows fleeing to Europe in 2015.

Among the most difficult moments Galinos had to deal with was the capsize of a boat September last year which resulted in 55 deaths. "We were all crying. People were carrying children with hypothermia, it was devastating," he recalled.

Even people from the northern popular touristic destinations of Lesvos, like Molyvos, who were initially opposing to the creation of hotspots for migrants due to the possible negative impact on the local economy, said after the sinking that they did not care for the lost season, as long as no more people and children lose their lives.

How to put an end to this suffering? According to the mayor, the crime which is happening in Turkey with the smugglers needs to be cracked down into its source.

"If the refugees and migrants are registered in Turkey, the risks that these people face during their dangerous journey automatically disappear," he said.

Though, European Union has provided Turkey with an aid plan of 3 billion euros (3.26 billion U.S. dollars) to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, Galinos is rather suspicious whether measures are taken.

Galinos, who was elected in May 2014, could not imagine, like most Greek and European officials, that the refugee flows would increase to such an extent in 2015.

"In 2014 we had only 50 people coming per day. In August 2015 the arrivals had reached 10,000 per day and from September to October we had up to 8,000 people daily," he said.

"During this winter, the flows have fallen to 2,000 but remain a considerable figure to take into account comparing to previous years," he added.

As the flows continue during the cold winter and there is no control by Turkish authorities, Galinos handed over to the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz upon his visit to Mytilene in autumn 2015 a proposal for the control of the crisis.

"We suggested to send a ship to Turkey on a regular basis to bring the refugees here in Mytilene in order to make the registration in a secure and organized way, without putting lives into danger," said the mayor.

Schulz found the proposal rational, but with the slow rhythms of the procedures there is no official answer yet, Galinos said.

Apart from the registration procedure, the mayor of Lesvos took a step further by proposing to resettle up to 20,000 people permanently on Lesvos and offer them an opportunity to start their life again.

With his proposal he wants to send a message against xenophobia. "Europe has nothing to be afraid of the refugees. They can be part of our communities and contribute to the economic development by paying their taxes, renting houses, the money will recirculate in the market. This plan can be implemented as a pilot program in Lesvos and I am sure that other regions will follow."

Without receiving any financial support from the European Union for months, the local authorities in Lesvos managed to establish a temporal shelter to these desperate people to offer them aid before they continue their dangerous journey towards northern Europe.

Apart from the management of the crisis, the 63-year-old mayor had to take over also the financial cost.

For 2015, the budget spent was approximately 2.5 million euros to expand the facilities, to make winter shelters, toilets and showers.

"I had to make budget cuts from other community expenses to make all the projects. As Schulz has put it, it is unfair to leave an island like Lesvos to take all the burden for Europe and not be supported financially," Galinos stressed.

The Greek island of Lesvos has earned the attention of the entire world not only for being the largest refugee gateway, but for the compassion locals have demonstrated as well.

"We come with our surplus in sensitivity, compassion and humanity, and we open our hugs to these people," the Mayor said.

But things were not always easy. In September 2015 the island was on the brick of chaos, like a bomb ready to explode, he said.

"With 27,000 citizens in the town of Mytilene and more than 30,000 refugees, the city was under seizure. All the squares, parks, even sidewalks were full of tents. Refugees could not depart as there were not enough ships available," he recalled.

Following talks with the central government and Greek ship owners, vessels reached Lesvos and within 72 hours more than 35,000 refugees were registered and transferred to the mainland.

Galinos knew that the image of Lesvos as an ideal holiday destination may have been harmed by the refugee flows, but he wants to overcome that by promoting the island's culture and history.

Therefore, he has enlisted the island's capital, Mytilene, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Sappho and Nobel Prize laureate poet Odysseas Elytis, in a competition to be named European Cultural Capital 2021.

The mayor who began his career as a swimmer and water polo player in the Nautical Club of Mytilene before entering politics, does not accept defeat. It is not an option.

"We have an opportunity to restore our name in a global level. Greeks showed that even under the economic crisis we can bear the burden and find solutions even for a European problem," he said, full of pride. Endit