Athens (ICRC) – On 28 March, delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) met Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the Greek president, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Greece and how to strengthen collaboration between the organization and the Greek government. Elli-Xeni Dimitriou, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court, also attended the meeting.
Patrick Vial, the ICRC's regional director for Europe and Central Asia, praised the humanitarian spirit of the Greeks and "the authorities' relentless efforts to meet the needs of migrants."
The ICRC has a history of working with the authorities that dates back to the Greco–Turkish War of 1919. Since then, the ICRC has been on hand to help at all critical junctures of Greek history. In March 2016, it opened a permanent mission in Athens to help and protect migrants in the region. This work includes visiting detainees, identifying dead bodies and putting loved ones back in touch through its Restoring Family Links network.
"The burden of helping migrants cannot fall on Greece alone," said Mr Vial. "This migration crisis stems from conflicts in the Middle East, and the high standards of protection afforded by international and domestic law must be upheld."
For further information, please contact:
Fragkiska Megaloudi, ICRC press officer, +30 6948716327