Gavdos must not turn into Lampedusa, said Pavlos Christidis, head of immigration policy at PASOK Kinal, as the increased flow of migrants to the island, as well as to Crete from Egypt, is causing pan-European concern.
On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet in Cairo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the prime ministers of Italy and Belgium, at which the migration issue is expected to be in the spotlight.
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“Gavdos must not turn into Lampedusa. Crete must not be left alone in the fight against the new refugee and migration crisis that is unfolding on the southern maritime borders of the country”said Mr. Christides and emphasized that “The government must act immediately at all levels. The country is not ready, does not have a plan and financial resources.”
“In addition to the obvious strengthening in terms of personnel and infrastructure, “internationalization” issue is an urgent need,” – says PASOK migration policy specialist, adding that “The time has come to test in practice the European declarations of solidarity and cooperation-support with transit states of refugee migrants. The time has come for real consultation and cooperation with the local and regional government of Crete.”
Pavlos Christidis notes, however, that “The change in refugee routes, which is not a complete surprise as events in the wider region have been known for a long time, has found the country unprepared, without a plan and without the financial resources to cope with it.”
He emphasizes that “The government must take the necessary measures to ensure that the new migration crisis does not develop into a humanitarian, social and economic crisis, to the detriment of refugees and the local population. The lesson of managing the islands in the East Aegean Sea must be learned.”
In Crete alone, the number of arrivals reached 1,500 in the last quarter, and the flow to Gavdos is also increasing. The island, which has about 40 permanent residents, is filled with hundreds of illegal immigrants.
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More than 25,000 illegal immigrants are ready to land on Crete
Athens news is already reported, that, according to data from the Greek Border Guard from arriving and disembarking illegal immigrants, a landing is expected on the southern coast of Crete in the near future up to 25,000 migrants. According to the same information, this is exactly the number of people who have gathered on the Libyan coast, from where they plan to leave in the near future.
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