UNHCR staff at the refugee camp in Idomeni, near the border crossing between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), on Monday reported that the refugees were showing a greater interest in the EU relocation programs than they had in previous days. According to UNHCR representative Liene Veide, this was because they were better informed and “have started to understand how things are.”
“I would say that before there was a sense that the borders will open and they did not show a great interest in obtaining information. Now that it is becoming clear that this prospect does not exist and that the borders will not open, they are starting to consider ‘Plan B,'” she added.
–
In addition to those interested in the relocation program, there were those considering applying for asylum in Greece and those seeking to be reunited with their families. In all three cases, she added, the refugees had to understand that things would not happen overnight. This was hard for them to accept, Veide noted, since they had already been in Greece for a long time and that made the UNHCR’s role in explaining the situation even harder.
Commenting on a break-in at the UNHCR storage facility in Idomeni, containing dry food and other items, Veide said that the police had been informed and that the UNHCR had asked for increased security.
(source: ana-mpa)
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
