Read the US State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Sunday, 22 December 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-26

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

  • [01] Mouzalas to 'Spiegel': 'We cannot host a single additional refugee'

  • [01] Mouzalas to 'Spiegel': 'We cannot host a single additional refugee'

    Migration Policy Minister Yannis Mouzalas urged European Union countries not to restore the Dublin Regulation which allows the return of asylum seekers to the first EU country they entered from, saying Greece cannot host any more refugees.

    "We could welcome a very small group at most, as a symbol that we don't reject the Dublin Regulations completely. Right now we have exhausted our capabilities. Of the agreed 32,000 refugees, only 10,000 have been relocated in other member-countries. Our position is very clear: We cannot host a single additional refugee. I am pleading to Europe's common sense," he was quoted as telling German magazine "Der Spiegel" in an interview published on Sunday.

    Mouzalas said Greece is already burdened heavily by the 60,000 refugees living in its territory, a number that, in proportion to the population, is comparable to that of Germany.

    "It would be wrong to burden Greece further with the restoration of the Dublin Regulations. We just managed to handle the situation with the housing of the refugees in the mainland and we are in the process of resolving issues on the islands. Pressure from Turkey on the refugee issue is also not lessening," he said.

    Asked by the magazine if he categorically rejects the Dublin Regulations, he said: "Yes, we are not in a position to implement the Dublin Regulations. I want the Germans to understand that this has nothing to do with political or ideological reasons or that we don't truly appreciate Germany's help. It's just that Greece is unable to cope with the arrival of other refugees. We just managed to stand on our feet. Do not make us stumble again."

    Concerning the EU-Turkey agreement, the minister said it is "complex" and that grey areas remain, but "the deal is a success because refugee flows have been sharply limited even without fences. After the deal, only 60 refugees arrive daily."

    Mouzalas also said he considered "natural" to have delays in the return of Syrian refugees to Turkey because Greece is trying to implement international law "in each individual case".

    He also said that to help decongest the islands, Greece has asked permission from the EU to transfer some refugees in closed camps in the mainland, but has not received a reply yet.


    Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
    Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    ana2html v2.01 run on Sunday, 26 March 2017 - 12:38:06 UTC