Mitsotakis: Ιsland officials agree on measures to decongest migrant hotspots
The immediate decongestion of the North Aegean's islands that have borne the brunt of the migration crisis, is one of the outcomes of a two-hour meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with local authority officials that concluded on Thursday evening.
In the meeting, both sides agreed that direct consultations would be held among regional and municipal councils, including the submission of proposals to central government. Financial support measures were also decided towards the local communities of Chios, Lesvos and Samos, focusing on the needs of each island and its inhabitants.
It was also announced that Kyriakos Mitsotakis would visit all three islands in the coming days, starting at Samos.
Local government officials welcomed the government's decision to step up the guarding of borders and the speeding up of the processing of asylum applications and returns.
It was also stressed that the current migrant facilities must be shut down and replaced by closed facilities.
According to decongestion plans, they will begin with the transfer of migrants whose asylum applications are approved, and those who have lived at refugee reception and identification centers for over 14 months.
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