The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, called today for the cooperation of all members of the European Union (EU) to address the growing migration crisis, chairing in an emergency meeting of his government on the issue.
It’s time to see if this is the Europe of solidarity, or of economic interests, where each (of the 28) is pending only on their borders and their country, he said.
He also noted Greece’s inability to respond to the continuous arrival of undocumented immigrants to its borders without the help of the members of the bloc.
According to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 124,000 migrants arrived in Greek territory during the first seven months of this year, 750 percent higher than in the same period of 2014.
In a statement today, the UNHCR expressed concern for the existence of a humanitarian emergency, which requires ‘solidarity within and outside the EU and offering viable alternatives for those trying to reach Europe to escape violence.’
Most troubling is that no one really takes the lead in implementing a response, which hinders the participation of humanitarian organizations in efforts to help undocumented immigrants, said the representative of that entity, Vincent Cochetel.
According to the UNHCR report, in so far this year, some 225,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea to settle in the so-called Old Continent, and more than 2,100 died in the attempt.
Greece and Italy, major refugee-receiving countries, have requested repeatedly the cooperation from the rest of the 28, without obtaining an immediate and effective response.
This morning, Tsipras said that the immigration crisis is an extremely critical issue for all of Europe, not only for Athens.
In addition, he stressed the need to seek solutions through dialogue with Turkey, from where millions of people leave, intending to reach Greek islands, and with major emitting nations of undocumented workers, such as Syria and Libya.
Source: Prensa Latina
