The Greek government will reportedly freeze some 9,000 asylum requests filed in the country by Syrian nationals, a development that would follow similar decisions by the German and Austrian governments.
According to migration and asylum ministry sources quoted by “To Vima” on Monday, those individuals “are not considered refugees after the developments”.
The “developments” in this case are the rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, with Islamist and jihadi rebels overrunning all of the Mideast country’s major cities, including the capital of Damascus.
Along these lines, the relevant Greek minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, will reportedly confer with new EU Commission for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, over the matter.
In reply to a press question over the prospect, government spokesman Pavlos merely said that competent services are on standby, “however, there is no reason for concern at the moment”.
He also referred to those Syrians who want to return to their homes in their country of origin following the collapse of previous regime.
“The return to democratic normality makes us cautiously optimistic, to expect a possible return of many refugees, people who suffered because of the situation in Syria; to pave the way for the smooth return of Syrian refugees to their homes.”
Asked whether Athens fears new flows of people fleeing the region, Marinakis said there doesn’t appear to be any reason for concern.
“Apart from our expectation of a safe return of refugees to Syria, it’s a given that Greece has a reception mechanism with far fewer structures, but much safer ones. Greece continues and pursues a strict but fair migration policy. There does not seem to be any reason for concern, our expectation is just the opposite,” he added.
