Migration Policy Interim minister, Yannis Mouzalas, announced that the Greek government will create two additional migrant reception centers, one in eastern Attica, in a old factory at the former industrial area of Lavrio, and one in Sindos near Thessaloniki in northern Greece.
The centers will host 700 and 500 people respectively and are expected to be functional in three weeks.
Refugees will stay there for two to three days until their registration and identification is completed.
“It is entirely outside our thinking – and we stated this at the Council of Europe – to turn our country into an endless camp. What we are building are small hospitality facilities, spaces where refugees will stay for one or two days before departing or completing identification. We are not going to build prisons. We are not going to transfer refugee camps into the cities,” Mouzalas said.
The minister also noted that the refugee crisis in Greece is being managed properly. Hundreds of refugees who have been camping in tents in central squares in Athens have been transferred to Elaionas facility while the situation in the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos has eased.
However he stressed that sustainable and long term solutions are needed to deal with the ongoing crisis.
“We are continuing what we found and hope that the change in government will not affect our planning. These are things that, regardless of you political opinion, the refugees have a right to,” he said.