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Relocation of asylum seekers: More than 4,000 left Greece for other EU countries

More 43 asylum seekers relocated today (24/06) to France. Thus, the number of people who left Greece for other European countries from April 2020 until today, exceeds 4,000.

Specifically, in the context of this voluntary on the part of its governments The European Union program, 4,008 people were relocated from Greece, including 1,628 recognized refugees, 1,531 asylum seekers and 849 unaccompanied children.

The destination countries were 13: Germany, France, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF welcome the relocation of 4,000 vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees from Greece, and call for further steps towards a systematic European mechanism.

“The relocation initiative has proven to be a driver of change, not only in the context of an applicable solidarity mechanism, but above all, for the lives of vulnerable people who are relocated,” said Gianluca Rocco, head of the IOM in Greece.

For her part, UNHCR Representative in Greece Mireille Girard stressed that “relocation shows that helping coastal countries manage arrivals requires a multilateral approach – only through co-operation and sharing of responsibility can we tackle common challenges and to provide solutions for the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers “.

“This effort demonstrates how effective solidarity can be for the realization of children’s rights,” said Luciano Calestini, UNICEF Representative in Greece.

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