Right of asylum

The EU Commission announced on Dec. 18 that it will provide financial support to member states who made a collective pledge of more than 30,000 refugee resettlement places.

EU member countries made the pledge during the two-day Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, which was co‐hosted by the UN and Switzerland and co-convened by Turkey, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Germany and Pakistan.

The United Nations urged governments, businesses and others on Tuesday to "reboot" the world's response to refugees as the number of people fleeing their homes rises along with hostility to migrants.

The first-ever Global Refugee Forum in Geneva is a chance for the world to build a "more equitable response" to the refugee crisis, the UN chief said on Dec. 17.

Safe return of refugees and establishing a permanent stability in Syria is as important as fight against terrorism, the Turkish president said on Dec. 17.

Greece is not only limited to its physical borders. The country has managed to expand and punch above its weight especially because it relied on the other Greece, the Greeks of the diaspora, who provided assistance at times of need and exerted influence in centers of power.

The main priority of new European Commission will be the urgent agreement on a sustainable, coherent and integrated European refugee and migration policy, the European Commissioner-designate in charge of Protecting our European way of life, Margaritas Schinas, said in a pre-recorded message for the 2019 Thessaloniki Summit on Thursday.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias called on Turkey to respect its commitments on controlling refugee and migrant departures from its shores, and slammed EU member-states that refuse to assume their share of the burden.

The biggest challenge facing Greece's new government is without a doubt managing the ongoing migration and refugee crises, and for many reasons too.

At least five closed pre-departure centers will reportedly be created for migrants who are not entitled to asylum in Greece, while the government will seek to ensure the return to Turkey of 10,000 by the end of 2020.

Greece is facing an "asymmetrical threat" from Turkey vis-a-vis the refugee and migration crisis, and the European union is "incapable and unwilling" to deal with the issue, except "superficially, putting money into it," the honorary chief of the Greek armed forces, Konstantinos Ginis, told Skai on Tuesday.