NAN-F-51
Refugees
Athens, March 23, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Thursday called on the EU to boost its support to help Athens handle the refugee crisis ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel.
“Most European countries take too few refugees from us and support for the processing of asylum claims is only a fraction of what was promised,” Kotzias said.
Kotzias’ meeting with Gabriel in Athens comes one year after German Chancellor Angela Merkel spearheaded an EU deal with Turkey aimed at providing Ankara with funds to help to provide shelter for refugees in the country.
It will also stem the flow of asylum seekers heading to the EU.
Since then the numbers of refugees traveling to Greece has declined, with just 3,000 arriving since the beginning of the year.
Kotzias warned that the number of refugees making the often perilous journey across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to the EU via Greece could increase again as warmer weather approaches.
“A new wave of refugees this summer would overwhelm us.
“Greece is at its limit,” he said.
Athens is also concerned that the refugee agreement with Brussels could be threatened by tensions between Ankara and the EU.
The tension flared up again amid a dispute over Turkish ministers campaigning in EU member states for next month’s referendum in the country. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Abdullahi Yusuf