The Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis me with the Alternate Minister of Migration Policy Yannis Mouzalas at noon on Tuesday and discussed the possibility of an open space being provided within the city to accommodate refugees, who are currently finding refuge on squares.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Mouzalas stated that the situation at Victoria Square was ‘typical’ due to major pressure caused by the refugee influx and stressed that major efforts are being made in order to provide relief to those in need.

Mr. Kaminis underlined that the City of Athens will help secure an open space to create a center for refugees, so that they are not forced to camp out in the squares and other open spaces in Athens. Mr. Kaminis praised local residents “for demonstrating remarkable maturity up to now”, despite the threat of “extreme cycles waiting to take advantage of the unpleasant situation”.

Furthermore, the Mayor lashed out against other municipal authorities for not taking similar actions and commented that the Armed Forces could provide abandoned barracks and open spaces to accommodate refugees.