Greece’s Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis dismissed reports by Turkish media claiming that a caravan of thousands of Syrian refugees is moving towards Greece and Europe. “A caravan of refugees has not yet been formed, and it has yet to be demonstrated that the efforts of those on social …
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Kythera: 236 refugees stranded in 48 hours on an island with no migrant facilities
The third vessel in the last 48 hours, carrying 67 migrants of various nationalities was located early Thursday at Limnionas on the island of Kythera early Thursday morning. Three Turkish nationals have been arrested as alleged human traffickers. Together with another 166 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan who arrived on Wednesday, …
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39 Syrian refugees finally evacuated from Evros river
After several days and following pressure and general outcry, Greek authorities announced that they had found the stranded refugees in Evros river. In the previous days Greek Police had announced that they could could not locate the refugees, denying at the same time that they were on Greek territory. “After …
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40 refugees stranded on Evros islet; child dies after scorpion stung; calls on their rescue
A group of some 40 migrants have been stranded on an islet in Evros River since the beginning of August. Among them a 5-year-old girl from Syria that was stung by a scorpion and died. However, the girl’s body remains unburied. Greek authorities call on Turkey to take care of …
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Greek NGOs appeal to Supreme Court for rescue of 50 migrants stranded at Evros islet
Two Greek NGOs tabled a complaint on Tuesday with the Supreme Court of Greece calling for the rescue of 50 Syrian migrants, including 3 pregnant women and 12 children, from an islet on the Evros River, in Greece’s borders with Turkey. The Greek Council for Refugees and HumanRights360 said the …
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Coast Guard prevents 5 boats with over 450 migrants to enter Greece
Alarm in the Aegean Sea: five boats with dozens of migrants onboard attempted to illegally cross into Greek territorial waters in the early morning hours of Monday. The Greek Coast Guard spotted the boats between the islands of Chios and Samos and th operation is still ongoing on Monday noon. …
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Frontex head Fabrice Leggeri submits resignation over illegal pushbacks
The head of the EU border agency Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, has filed his resignation following excoriating criticism of its human rights record and an anti-fraud investigation. Fabrice Leggeri, who was censured by the European parliament last year, announced his resignation in a letter to the agency’s management board. “I give …
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Greece’s independent authority rejects migrant pushback claims
Greece’s independent authority for transparency said Tuesday that after an in-depth investigation it has found no basis for reports that Greek authorities have illegally turned back asylum-seekers entering the country from Turkey. The National Transparency Authority said in a statement that the allegations by the Lighthouse Reports non-profit organization last …
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Greece sends over 11 tons of pet food to Ukrainian refugees
Greece is sending more than 11 tons of pet food and sanitary equipment for the pets of Ukrainian refugees currently at the Polish-Ukranian border. A truck will leave Kalochori, Thessaloniki, and the aid will be distributed to Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homeland with pets: dogs, cats and rabbits. A make-shift …
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Online platform for Ukrainian refugees in Greece opens on March 28
A platform for Ukrainian refugees to apply for temporary protection and identification card will go live on March 28, Migration & Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis said on Sunday. In an interview with Sunday newspaper Real News, Mitsrakis said via the platform the Ukrainian Refugees will register for individual appointments at …
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Greece to send transport mean to Poland for Ukrainian refugees’ resettlement
Greece will send buses or airplanes to Poland to resettle Ukrainean refugees in the country following an appeal by the Polish government, Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis said on Thursday. The appeal came as more than 1.3 million Ukrainians have sought refuge in Poland. The minister stressed that the …
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Over 2,700 of Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Greece since Russian invasion started
Another 515 Ukrainian war refugees have arrived in Greece in the past 24 hours, the Citizen Protection Ministry said Friday. A total of 2,704 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into the country since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24. Most arrived by road, with 430 entering via the …
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Greece to grant Ukrainian refugees one-year protection status, right to work
The Greek state will provide one-year protection status along with rights to work and medical care to Ukrainian refugees entering Greece, the Migration & Asylum Ministry announced on Wednesday. This will be issued to Ukrainian nationals within 90 days of their entering Greece, as the usual 90-day visa entry requirement …
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Greece’s Forum on Refugees receives a barrage of requests by Ukrainian citizens
The Greek Forum of Refugees said on Wednesday that it is getting phone calls every five minutes from Ukrainian citizens seeking help for themselves or their families, who have been impacted by the war in Ukraine. They ask for information about how a Ukrainian can ask for asylum in Greece, …
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Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees arrive in Greece, as authorities prepare for increasing flow
Three buses carrying refugees from Ukraine arrived in Greece on Monday morning. On board women and children and elderly men, as those aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country. One buss with 36 people onboard arrived at Omonoia square in downtown Athens. The families were welcomed by relatives …
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First refugees from Ukraine arrive in Greece: 4 adults, 2 kids, 4 dogs, 1 turtle
The first refugees from Ukraine arrived in Thessaloniki early Sunday morning, seeking refuge from Putin’s bombs. The family from Vinnytsia in north-central Ukraine needed 66 hours drive to reach the city in northern Greece where they made a short stop before continuing their journey to their final destination: a town …
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Ukrainian people are “true war refugees,” says Greece’s Migration Minister
“Greece will participate in the effort to support the Ukrainian people, directly with technical and humanitarian assistance to Poland and other countries,” Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis said on Saturday. At the same time, he stressed that refugees from Ukraine are “true refugees” as they are fleeing war. Speaking to Skai …
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Frontex preparing for Afghans already abroad to try to reach Europe
The EU is preparing for an influx of Afghans seeking asylum, whether or not people flee en masse from the new Taliban government, the chief of the EU border agency said, noting that millions are already displaced in neighbouring countries. In an interview, Fabrice Leggeri, director-general of border agency Frontex, …
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“We do not want a repeat of uncontrolled massive migration flows like in 2015,” Greek PM tells BSF
“We do not want a repeat of the uncontrolled and unregulated massive massive migration flows we experienced in 2015, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday during his introductory speech at a panel of the Bled Strategic Forum 2021, in Bled, Slovenia. Mitsotakis said that he disagrees with the …
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Xenophobic protest as refugee children doll Amal walks through Larissa
A group of people thew stones and harassed locals who went to see the arrival of the Amal refugee doll in the city of Larissa, central Greece, on Tuesday. Other protesters held icons and religious symbols to “exorcise” the big little doll symbolizing refugee children and their plight. Protesters shouted …
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