Greece: Refugees

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had since the beginning of covid-19 pandemic with (a) the European Commission and (b) the Greek Government on resettling refugees from the island of Lesbos.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 12th May 2020

The Foreign Secretary last discussed the migration situation with the Greek Foreign Minister on 18 March, and on 22 April the Minister for Immigration Compliance signed the UK-Greece Migration Action Plan with his Greek counterpart and discussed a range of bilateral and regional migration issues.

This Migration Action Plan sets out the framework for future bilateral co-operation with Greece on migration. It includes renewed deployment of a Border Force cutter to the Aegean to carry out search and rescue; facilitation of family reunification of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, where it is in their best interests; sharing of expertise on asylum processes and migrant returns in line with international laws; and the establishment of a strategic migration dialogue.

In terms of the Greek migrant camps, we remain in close contact with the Greek authorities. We are also in regular discussions with our European partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral channels, and continue to monitor the situation via our Embassy in Athens closely.

The UK's refugee resettlement schemes offer a safe and legal route to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees, and purposefully target those in greatest need of assistance. The Government's long-standing policy is to provide support to and resettle the most vulnerable refugees directly from conflict regions.

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