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Greece does its best on refugee crisis: minister

Xinhua, September 13, 2015

• Debt-laden Greece does its best to cope with an unprecedented refugee and migrant crisis this year, but strengthened cross-border multifaceted cooperation is needed to effectively address the challenge, caretaker Alternate Shipping Minister Christos Zois said in an interview with Xinhua recently.

  Zois assumed office in late August ahead of the Sept. 20 snap general elections, as the Greek state was under heavy criticism by foreign experts for weeks for failing to act quickly and offer the desperate people landing on Greece's shores adequate basic aid.

  The Greek official acknowledged that Greece lacked a comprehensive national strategy to deal with the influx.

  However, he stressed that the extent of the challenge is too big not only for Greece, but for any country to handle on its own.

  "The refugee flows in nowadays is not only a national issue but an issue for the world community. We face a tremendous challenge. We need a Greek and European action plan to move forward," he told Xinhua, underlining that Greece direly needs the urgent solid support of European partners.

  According to the latest Greek Coast Guard figures, some 230,000 undocumented refugees and migrants have entered Greece from the start of 2015 compared to 18,000 people in the same period last year.

  Eighty percent of them are refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries who reach the eastern Aegean Sea islands via Turkey's shores on rubber dinghies risking their lives in the hope of finding a better future in prosperous Northern Europe.

  A Coast Guard which faces acute shortages due to the five year debt crisis that has brought Greece at the brink of default has rescued more than 50,000 people at sea so far this year.

  The wave of desperate refugees seems unlikely to recede soon. The Greek official stressed that Athens has been informed that more than 1.6 million Syrian nationals are currently waiting in Turkey to get across. Greece and Europe face a mounting challenge which will be here to stay for long.

  EU officials pledged over the past few weeks to provide full economic, political and technical support to Greece and other Southern European countries to deal with the problem.

  On its part, Greece accelerates efforts, setting in motion a series of measures to cope with the pressure, starting from the islands bearing the brunt of arrivals.

  An operational center set up at the Shipping Ministry is responsible to prioritize, deconflict and coordinate actions of various ministries to better manage the refugee flows.

  Additional daily routes of chartered ferries transfer thousands of refugees and migrants from islands such as Lesvos to Piraeus port to help decongest the islands to keep the numbers of people in need to levels that local communities can deal with.

  "We have moved from Lesvos more than 18,000 identified refugees in less than four days' time," Zois noted.

  More identification centers are created and Police and Coast Guard have dispatched more officers with specialized equipment to help speed up the identification process of incoming migrants and refugees so they can continue their journey to the mainland.

  The Armed Forces contribute on a daily basis by offering 1,500 loafs of bread and meals for the reception centers. The list of policies is being enriched each day passing by.

  He does not have "illusions" that Greece -- or any other country -- can pull out miracles overnight, Zois told Xinhua.

  However, the minister is convinced that the situation is manageable and Athens can handle the challenge in the future more effectively assisted by European partners.

  He assured that Greece will meet commitments on time to secure the necessary EU funds and further support to deal with the emergency and help the refugees "in the best possible manner."

  The Greek official praised the UN, NGOs and ordinary citizens for their "remarkable solidarity" and significant contribution in efforts to provide a helping hand to the migrants and refugees.

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