The mayors of the three Greek islands, suffering from the problem of crowded refugee camps, support the protests and demand that thousands of migrants be transported to the mainland.
It is already the second day of demonstrations caused by the plight of refugee camps. The mayors of Lesbos, Samos and Chios insist on a speedy solution to the problem.
After the meeting in Athens, the Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi said that all the concerns expressed earlier were justified, since the migration crisis has become a heavy burden for island communities.
“Our priorities are to solve the problem of overpopulation of the islands, reduce the influx of migrants, return (migrants) to Turkey and build confidence between the central government and the islands,” Mitarachi told reporters.
On Wednesday, all island stores were closed, and public services were disrupted due to a strike as part of the protest.
The “anxiety and indignation” of the inhabitants of the islands at the forefront of the ongoing migration crisis was justified, and Mitarachi promised to take measures to solve the problem of increasing the number of arriving migrants.
“Our country really faced a migration crisis and an increase in migrant flows in 2019,” which put pressure on local communities, he added.
Mitarakis said the island’s government and officials have agreed on current priorities, such as reducing the number of new arrivals, tackling overcrowding in camps, accelerating the return of migrants to their homeland, improving the asylum process and improving health care in the islands.
The minister added that he would meet with mayors and the governor of the region every two weeks.