Thursday, May 28, 2020
Let me say what an honor it is to spend some time with my friend Minister Koumoutsakos, but also our partners from UNHCR and IOM. I took the opportunity to congratulate the minister on the great progress that Greece has made recently on issues around the resettlement, in particular, of unaccompanied minors. We also had a good conversation about nearly $3 million in U.S. government assistance that we have now committed to IOM and UNHCR in support of their activities in Greece in recognition of the burdens that the Greek State is carrying on the migration issue, and also the exceptional challenges created by the Coronavirus pandemic and the need for all of us to work together. I commended the minister for the progress that has been made recently in resettlement, particularly for unaccompanied minors to other EU member states, and underlined that the United States, like our EU partners, recognizes that Greece is carrying a burden on behalf of the wider international community and deserves all the support that we can manage. So thank you very much, Minister, and also thank you especially to our partners at IOM and UNHCR.
