"The government's policy that has already bore fruit is the reduction of the migrants flows," Migration and Asylum Minister Makis Voridis said on Monday, citing the 27% reduction in arrivals in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year.
Voridis is visiting the island of Chios to attend the commemoration events for the anniversary of the Chios massacre by the Ottomans in 1822.
The minister visited the closed and controlled hosting structure of Chios (VIAL) where he talked with members of the administration and with the staff and was informed on the operation of the structure and the challenges that it is facing.
After his meeting with the mayor of the island Ioannis Malafis, the minister stressed that in the month and a half he has been in the ministry he has already implemented a policy of reducing the number of residents in the structures, a policy that is paying off, as the number of hosting structures has been reduced by an average of 12.9%. "This policy remains firm. It is part of our government's agenda and this is what we will continue to implement," he added.
Voridis clarified that for once again "the government's political priority is the enhancement of the returns." He also stressed the importance of operating the structures under safe conditions: "It is of utmost importance that the structures, as long as they remain in operation, provide safe conditions for both citizens and residents. And of course, local communities that are under pressure from the migration flows will be supported - and will continue to be supported - by our government, mainly through the Solidarity Fund mechanism."