The first Greek hotspot will open its doors in 8-10 days in Lesvos , while another other four will be installed in Greece over the next month in order to make up for delays in processing applications for asylum, noted Greek Deputy Minister Giannis Mouzalas.
The Greek deputy minister, along with the Commissioner for Immigration Dimitris Avramopoulos, and the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn who also serves as chairman of the ministerial council , were present at a press conference given after the conclusion of their meeting with the Greek President of Republic and stressed the need for help from Europe, in particular regarding financial aid to Greece.
“Greece is not alone, Europe is standing by its side,” said Avramopoulos, adding that new refugee accommodation and identification centers will be installed on the Greek islands in the coming months.
Furthermore, Asselborn noted that he has sent a message to Europe to accelerate the procedures for the operation of hot spots in order to fully implement the refugee relocation agreement. “We need to welcome refugees with proper identification and health control procedures and offer the correct reception, but we need to know who is knocking on our door,” he stressed.
As part of the preservation of the European acquis of the Schengen Treaty, the security around the European borders need to be strengthened. Meanwhile, the European officials also stressed that Greece should cooperate with Turkey regarding the migration issue, since both countries are facing great problems.
