In a desperate appeal to the Greek government, the mayor of Lesvos calls for immediate measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers in the Aegean island.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Migration Policy, Yiannis Mouzalas, Mayor Spyros Galinos says that following the recent increase in refugee flows, Lesvos is congested.
Refugees and migrants stranded in Lesvos exceed 6,000, which means, as he says, that the existing temporary accommodation structures cannot cope.
“The steady increase in arrivals, coupled with the fact that there is no transfer of asylum seekers to mainland Greece, leads to the encroachment of a large population of asylum seekers in Lesvos,” he notes.
Galinos blames Mouzalas for making it the responsibility of the local municipality to handle the overcrowding crisis in Lesvos, instead of taking the initiative to handle it themselves.
“The hospitality capacity of Lesvos has reached its limit,” Galinos says.
“I call for immediate and meaningful action by taking measures to decongest Lesvos for the benefit of both asylum seekers and our fellow citizens”, he adds.
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!
