UN chief calls Lesvos ‘island of peace’ during visit to refugees
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Lesvos "the island of peace" and the Aegean "a sea of solidarity" during a visit to the eastern Aegean island on Saturday.
The UN chief expressed his thanks to the Greek government, local authorities and the people of Lesvos for their efforts to help refugees.
Accompanied by Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas and local officials, Ban visited the Moria reception center and the Kara Tepe refugee settlement.
Mouzalas said that Ban agreed on the importance of spreading the accommodation of refugees across European Union member states, noting that the matter would be raised at the next UN general assembly in September.
Earlier in the day, during a joint press conference in Athens with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Ban praised Greece's response to the ongoing refugee crisis and urged the international community to provide more supports to the thousands of people fleeing war and conflict.
