Greek Prime Minister Calls for Internal Unity in the Face of Refugee Crisis

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras held a meeting with the authorities of Greek areas with a high concentration of refugees to increase cooperation and information sharing among the various sides.
During the meeting, Tsipras noted that the situation that has developed is beyond Greece’s capabilities and called on the various local representatives to unite in the face of this crisis and protect the people who are in need.
“We must find and demand solutions both on a European level and a national level because we all recognize that no local community can carry such a heavy weight if it is not supported,” he added.
Among those present were the mayors of the Greek islands of Chios, Kos, Lesvos and Samos, all of which are East Aegean islands that have been major entry points for migrants and refugees over the past few months. Archbishop Ieronymos as well as the metropolitans of the aforementioned islands also participated in the meeting.
Tsipras explained the presence of both local authorities and Church clergy in the meeting, arguing that this is a humanitarian crisis and that state and church should unite to bring about an effective solution.
Friday’s meeting comes after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees released a report that estimates there will be 5,000 new arrivals into Europe everyday between November 2015 and February 2016. Overall, more than 760,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in the European Union since the beginning of the year. More than 600,000 of these have entered through the Greek islands.
The Regional Chief of the Northern Aegean, Christiana Kalogirou who also took part in the meeting, noted that she asked Tsipras for the formation of a special growth package for the islands that have been hit with by the refugee crisis. According to Kalogirou, Tsipras agreed and such a program will be developed for islands in need, both in the North and the South Aegean Sea.