The police and coast guard were in control of the migration situation, the head of the Greek police Aliens and Border Protection service Zacharoula Tsirigoti said on Thursday in an exclusive interview with ANA-MPA. She estimated that the assistance of the army will not be needed, even if there is an increase in the influx of migrants and refugees.
Tsirigoti said that between 3,500-4,000 people are arriving on islands of the northern and eastern Aegean daily. These individuals were being identified and processed at a rate of about 3,000 a day, she added, and singled out the greatest problem as the lack of first reception facilities on the islands of the Aegean.
According to Tsirigoti, the current rate of migration and refugee flows was unprecedented in any European Union country, including Greece, and all services were making an effort to meet the challenge.
“Experience until now, both on Lesvos and on Kos, has shown where the weaknesses are, what we can improve and what we must do to deal with this phenomenon. Solidarity, coordination and honest effort are primarily what is needed from all the agencies involved,” she said. Asked whether the army might be called in to assist, as in other countries, Tsirigoti noted that the armed forces were already helping in some areas, such as providing food, technical resources and in setting up tents.
“Using the Army at the external borders or anywhere else in the interior of the country is a purely political decision that I believe will not be made, because we will not need to reach that point. The situation until now is controlled, both by us as police and by the coast guard,” she said. She also praised cooperation between the police and FRONTEX and the assistance by European organisations generally in tackling the crisis.
(source: ana-mpa)
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