Only migrants and refugees who are likely to be granted asylum can be moved from the islands to Greece’s mainland, said government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.
The statement came after violent riots broke out on Chios island, where part of the Souda migrant camp burned down and a migrant and two volunteers were beaten by local residents.
According to Tzanakopoulos, those migrants and refugees who leave the islands for the mainland cannot participate in the European Union-Turkey agreement program.
“Decongestion of the islands and the relocation of refugees and migrants to the mainland is linked largely with the EU-Turkey agreement. When someone moves to the mainland, they are automatically out of the scope of the agreement,” Tzanakopoulos said on SKAI television on Monday.
The statement came after Chios Mayor Manolis Vournous had asked from Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas to close down the Souda camp and remove migrants and refugees from the island.
Mouzalas stated that at this point it is not in Greece’s interest to relocate any refugees from the islands.
Deputy Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Balafas visited the island and stated on E television that it is impossible to remove the migrant camp from Souda and that “Chios residents must learn to live with the refugees.”
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