Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the suspension will final for 3 months amid a surge of arrivals from international locations together with Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh.
Greece will droop the processing of asylum purposes from people arriving from North Africa for 3 months.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis introduced the choice in parliament on Wednesday amid an uptick of arrivals – an estimated 2,000 migrants and refugees have landed on Crete for the reason that weekend, resulting in anger amongst native authorities and tourism operators.
“With laws that will probably be submitted to the parliament tomorrow, Greece will droop the examination of asylum purposes, initially for 3 months, for these arriving in Greece from North Africa by sea,” Mitsotakis instructed parliament.
“Migrants who enter the nation illegally will probably be arrested and detained,” Mitsotakis added.
The conservative chief mentioned laws could be put to a vote within the chamber on Thursday, and that Athens was preserving the European Union knowledgeable on the difficulty.
Mitsotakis mentioned Greece’s navy and coastguard had been prepared to cooperate with Libyan authorities to maintain migrant boats from leaving the nation’s territorial waters, or to show them again earlier than coming into Greek waters.
Sea arrivals of individuals departing from northeastern Libya and making an attempt to achieve Europe by way of Greece’s southern islands of Crete and Gavdos have exceeded 7,300 to this point this yr, in response to estimates by the Greek authorities and help organisations.
In distinction, complete arrivals in 2024 stood at about 5,000.
The sharp enhance has strained each islands, which lack formal migrant reception centres and have confronted difficulties in securing short-term lodging.
The migrants primarily come from the Center East and North Africa, together with nationals from Sudan and Egypt, and in addition from international locations together with Bangladesh.
‘Unlawful’
In a press release on social media, the Greek Council for Refugees demanded that there be no suspension of asylum, calling it “unlawful” and a violation of worldwide legislation.
The group accused the federal government of utilizing the elevated inflow of migrants and refugees as an “excuse”, saying it “solely demonstrates Greece’s incapacity to ensure fundamental elementary rights”.
Greece rescued about 520 individuals off Gavdos early on Wednesday and was taking them to the mainland, the Greek coastguard mentioned.
The Mediterranean nation was on the entrance line of the 2015-2016 migration disaster when multiple million individuals fleeing struggle and poverty within the Center East and Africa crossed into Europe.