CHIOS, Greece — Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi on Tuesday announced that the migration and asylum ministry will speed up construction of the new closed/ controlled access reception facility for asylum-seekers on the island of Chios, after a court ruling ordering the ministry to return to the VIAL site that currently houses the island's hotspot.

In a statement, Mitarachi said: "I made a pledge before the general elections that the VIAL camp will be closed down its location within an urban area was clearly creating problems."

The court ruling, said Mitarachi "accelerates the need to find a solution with regard to the creation of a closed and controlled facility that meets the required standards in terms of providing decent temporary accommodation for asylum seekers and the safety standards that will benefit the residents, staff and the local community. A facility that will not in any way resemble the difficulties that VIAL has created".

Mitarachi concluded that the new facility must be ready to operate within 2021 and that the ministry "will take all the necessary administrative and legal actions for the smooth closure of VIAL" once it is ready.