File photo. [InTime News]
Immigration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said Greece is working with Germany to establish migrant return centers in African countries.
Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, Plevris said discussions are underway with safe African states that would accept migrants who cannot be returned to their homelands. He said the effort is being led by individual European Union member states, not the bloc, and added that centers outside Europe would deter migration.
Plevris also said that migrant arrivals have fallen between August, September, October and the first fortnight of November, noting a 45 to 50 percent drop compared with the same period in 2024. He said the country recorded about 23,000 arrivals last year and about 12,000 this year. He added that arrivals are now 18 percent lower than last year after an upward trend in July.
Plevris said cooperation with Turkey has helped reduce crossings by more than 50 percent and added that diplomacy in Libya has also contributed to the decline.