ND chief voices concern over migrant uptick
Opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has voiced his concern over the sharp increase in the number of migrants landing on Greece’s Aegean islands from Turkey.
“The situation is constantly deteriorating. There is a strong and understandable reaction from the local communities,” Mitsotakis said during a meeting with European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos in Athens on Monday.
In his comments, Avramopoulos defended the effectiveness of the bloc’s deal with Turkey aimed at stemming migrant flows in the Aegean, while pledging Europe’s continued political and economic support to Greece over the issue.
Nearly 5,000 refugees, mostly Syrian or Iraqi families, crossed from Turkey in September, a quarter of all arrivals this year, UNHCR said Friday, while urging Greek authorities to speed up winter preparations at refugee camps on islands in the Aegean Sea.
