ATHENS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon headed Saturday to take a first-hand look in Greece at the migration crisis that has engulfed Europe, as tens of thousands of migrants remain blocked at the doorstep to the EU.
Over the past year and a half more than 1 million refugees and migrants, many from Syria, have arrived on the Greek islands, and Ban praised Greeks for showing “remarkable solidarity ... as Greece faces tremendous challenges of so many desperate people fleeing war and persecution.”
Speaking after talks with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens, Ban also hailed Greece for managing the refugee influx at the same time as grappling with its huge debt crisis.
“Despite the country’s economic difficulties, Greece has been saving human lives,” he said, adding that country deserves the support of the international community “and should not be left on its own to face this challenge.”
Ban’s next stop in Greece later Saturday will be the flashpoint island of Lesbos to visit the refugee camps. Lesbos and other eastern Aegean islands last year were the gateway into Europe for a migration wave unseen since World War II. According to UN figures, Lesbos alone accounted for around 500,000 arrivals in 2015.
UN chief in Greece to take stock of migrant crisis
UN chief in Greece to take stock of migrant crisis
