The caretaker Prime Minister Vasiliki Thanou announced the creation of two new hospitality centers for refugees – one in Attica and the other in Thessaloniki – on Sunday morning, during her visit to Mytilene.
Mrs. Thanou visited the Aegean island over the weekend and criticized the “isolated voices”, who “from the safety of neighboring with partners in the heart of Europe” condemn Greece for the refugee crisis. The PM underlined that Greek authorities are tasked with guarding 16,000 kilometers of coast line that are Europe’s borders.
During her visit, Mrs. Thanou commented that thanks to her cabinet’s actions, more than 20,000 refugees have left Mytilene to carry on their journey, with the situation on the island having “improved”.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister visited Chios, where she met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The religious leader praised Mrs. Thanou for her efforts to help “these unfortunate people”, with the PM responding that “hospitality has always been in the DNA of the Greek people”.
