ATHENS – As Greece has denied reports of pushing back refugees on land and at sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has worked out an agreement for further protections but also voluntary returns.

That came after a visit to the Greek capital by IOM’s Director-General Amy Pope which saw a deal made with the Foreign Ministry that lets the group, which has a 72-year partnership with Greece, continue offering services.

https://www.iom.int/news/iom-chief-welcomes-further-protection-migrants-greece-under-landmark-partnership

IOM said the agreement means the group can keep up life-saving protection and health, mental health support, and pathways for regular migration, integration, relocation, and voluntary returns.

“We look forward to strengthening our collaboration to help migrants in Greece tackle the daunting task of rebuilding their lives in a new country, or assist them to safely return home,” said Pope.

She and Minister of Migration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and the Deputy Minister for Integration, Sofia Voultepsi, visited a detention center for asylum seekers in Schisto outside Athens.

That was opened when refugees began pouring into Greece by the scores of thousands in 2015-16, coming from their homelands in the Middle East and Asia through Turkey, which is still holding some four million of them.

Turkey signed a deal with the European Union in 2016 to contain them in return for aid and a faster-track entry process into the bloc – which hasn’t happened – but human traffickers keep sending refugees to Greece, mainly to islands near Turkey’s coast.

Pope said she spoke with some of the 700 refugees in the center about their hopes and aspirations as they wait for asylum applications to be processed, which can take two years or more and has seen frustration over the delays.

“It was incredibly humbling to speak with some of the mothers, fathers and children who bravely left their homes in search of safety and a better life here in Greece,” Pope said. “Engaging closely with those we serve is crucial to understanding their needs and priorities and, ultimately, to enhancing the effectiveness of our support.”

She said IOM works closely with the government of Greece to help migrants integrate into Greek everyday life and help provide them with the skills to find work and become a part of society if they can.

IOM helps with vocational training, especially for key industries that need workers the most, along with Greek language lessons and education on other aspects of Greek social and cultural life, the group said.