ATHENS — An e-meeting about the upgrading of the refugee reception and identification center at the Fylakio village in the Evros Greek-Turkish border region was held on Monday, by Migration & Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi with municipal and regional officials.

The Fylakio center does not accommodate refugees or asylum seekers from other entry points to Greece, but only those who cross into the country via the Evros border, was noted in a ministry announcement. It can accommodate 282 people, and is currently hosting 259 refugees, of whom 59 are unaccompanied minors; of these minors, 25 will be soon transferred to other accommodations, said Mitarachi. Concurrent to the operation of the center at Fylakio, is a pre-departure holding facility, able to keep 250 people.

A new center will be built on 7.2 hectares, alongside the current facility, and is expected to be completed in 2021. It will be able to help complete the registration of asylum seekers, who will then be transferred to existing hosting facilities in mainland Greece.

The monthly average number of people crossing into the country at the Evros region is 811 individuals, but the figure went up to 1,030 in October 2020, noted the minister.