Greece’s political leaders meeting to discuss refugee crisis

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Friday was chairing a meeting between leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and all opposition leaders bar far-right Golden Dawn, to discuss measures for the management of the refugee crisis ahead of a summit in Brussels on Monday.

Tsipras presented his counterparts with a dossier at the start of the meeting outlining the current state of play, including the number of refugees and migrants currently in Greece and their locations, the progress being made on improving reception centers and housing facilities, details of the programs being run by the state and non-state agencies to feed and provide medical care to arrivals, steps for unaccompanied minors, as well as a timeline for the creation of new facilities.

Tsipras hopes to have the support of his counterparts in crucial talks in Brussels on Monday, which are expected to focus on measures to share the burden of the refugee crisis between European Union member states and to alleviate some of the pressure on cash-strapped Greece.