The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos, the Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas, the Chief of HNDGS Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Vasileios Tellidis and the Coordinator of the Central Coordinating Body for the Management of the Migration Major General Konstantinos Floros visited the relocation centre for refugees – migrants in Schisto.

The Minister of National Defence addressed the following statement:

 “I would like to congratulate the Officers, NCOs and conscripts with whom within ten days, under the guidance of the Chiefs of General Staffs and Major General Konstantinos Floros who assumed the general coordination all over Greece, we managed to create this place that you see, which meets all the requirements provided by the European Union and the UN High Commission for Refugees. The Armed Forces were called on to fulfil this project and they did it.

This is an example of how we want all the relocation centres and hot spots that we undertook, to look like at their final stage. As I said this morning too, four out of the five hotspots are operational and ready to accept refugees. One of the relocation centres, as you may see, is operational at 100% of its capabilities, whereas, in parallel, two other places have been being constructed in Thessaloniki and they are ready to accept refugees who will be relocated, as provided for, after a 24-hour stay at the hotspots.

I wish to thank my colleague Alternate Minister Mr. Vitsas, in particular, who, indeed, undertook all this huge effort. I wish to thank the Mayor of Perama who is here today. We was, indeed, one of the Mayors, along with the Mayor of Leros, with the Deputy Regional Governors and the Regional Governor of Northern Aegean, who believed in this effort. I wish to assure him and tell the residents of Perama that, as soon as this mission is completed, these places will be ceded to the Municipalities which cooperated because it was a shame for these places to be wastelands.

There are all these appropriate conditions of living, hygiene, as well as proper distribution, because the Army will continue having the responsibility of their operation in cooperation with the Ministry of Migration Policy and the Ministry for Citizen Protection so that the refugees who will come here will remember Greece as the country where the word hospitality was born.
 
Unfortunately, some people will lose the sorrowful privilege, which is unacceptable for Greek people, to take advantage of migrants. Here, they will be able to charge their cell phones, to buy water at low prices – and, of course, without any further charges from our side – to find food certified by ISO standards as provided by the European Union, with respect to the religious characteristics of everybody’s  food habits. When we complete our job, as Armed Forces, we will deliver these premises to the competent Ministries so that they will keep operating.

I believe that this policy of Greece, which proved in action that it is consistent to its commitments towards the European Union, as well as the recent agreement with NATO, which practically solves the migration issue in Europe, are the last actions of a tragedy that we lived in the Aegean Sea.

What still concerns us are the children and for this reason, in cooperation with the “Smile of the Child” and other non-governmental organizations, we have already taken action for the procurement of equipment for the biometric identification and monitoring of children, because it is unacceptable that 10,000 children have disappeared.

I would like also to thank you, the journalists, Greeks and foreigners, who are here today to communicate the real image of Greece.

I would also like to thank the friends of non-governmental organizations, of the European Union, of the UN High Commission for Refugees and of the International Organization for Migration who really supported us in this work which is an example of what the Armed Forces can offer in peace time.

Thank you very much.”