The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos, the Alternate Minister Dimitris Vitsas, the Chief of HNDGS Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Vasileios Tellidis, the Coordinator of the Central Management Body for the Migration, Major General Konstantinos Floros, and the Alternate General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction, Tzanetos Filippakos, accompanied by representatives of the European Union and of the UN High Commission for refugees visited Kos, Leros, Chios, Samos and Lesvos and inspected the places where Migrants’ Reception Centres are constructed.

From Samos, the Minister of National Defence made the following statement:

“Today, first day after the Ministry of National Defence assumed the responsibility for the construction, organization and operation of the hotspots, in cooperation with the Ministry of Migration Policy and the Ministry for Citizen Protection, we are here, with the Alternate Minister Mr. Dimitris Vitsas, the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff Lieutenant General Vasileios Tellidis, the Coordinator for the migration issue at a national level, Major General Konstantinos Floros, the Brigadier General and Commander of the 79th Higher National Guard Battalions Command and the Major and Head of Coordination for Samos island.

We are accompanied by representatives of the European Union and the UN High Cimmission for refugees, as well as by a representative of the organization “The Smile of the Child” – which assumes, along with other nongovernmental organizations, to address the issues that regard the children – to inspect the progress of the work.

We state to everybody that the works will have been completed and delivered by February 14. There are no delay margins, not even for an hour. If we realise, at a certain moment, that the contractors cannot accomplish their work, the Army will take over. As you might already know, DIDERGON, Army Engineer, as well as other personnel of the Armed Forces who engage in constructions, is working hard in all areas in which we have taken responsibility, that is on the five islands, in Sindos and in Schisto.

There will be a direct cooperation with the Hellenic Police and the Coast Guard, represented by the Officers who will participate in the “small” team of the island, as well as at a central government level, with the Municipality, the Regional Government, the UN High Commission for refugees, with the European Union and other nongovernmental organizations.

 I would like to assure you that our objective is not just to prepare and deliver the hotspots, but to ensure that their operation complies with the required hygiene regulations, that they provide meals approved by the European Union, as provided for by common decisions. These hotspots must operate 24 hours a day. Within 24 hours, refugees and migrants must be transferred to the relocation centres, which are in Sindos and Schisto, and from there, they will depart within 72 hours. 

As you know, the Armed Forces, when needed, will offer a social work. This is not a responsibility that we assume forever. Besides, there are also the Ministry of Migration Policy and the Ministry for Citizen Protection that have been doing their job since a long while.

Today, while taking this responsibility, I wish to thank, firstly, the Officers, the NCOs and the personnel of the Hellenic Police and the Coast Guard who have been giving their souls and making huge efforts to save human lives. I would like also to thank the volunteers, the nongovernmental organizations, you, journalists – I see that you are following this issue consistently and provide true information about it – and the residents of our islands who have been nominated for the Nobel peace prize and I believe that they should be awarded it.

I would like you to know that we are monitoring the continuation of the works 24 hours. We will be here, we will be present, when needed and we will be waiting for you on February 14 for the inauguration of the hotspot on Samos. Migrants and refugees will not be transferred to any other place on the island. There will be one centre on every island and this means that every operation, registration, healthcare and other administrative procedures will take place only in this centre.”