ATHENS – Twelve unaccompanied refugee children will leave Athens on Wednesday to go to Luxembourg, the migration and asylum ministry announced on Tuesday.

This departure will launch a programme for the relocation of 1,600 unaccompanied minors to EU member-states. This development is the result of a Greek initiative based on guidelines given by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has made the issue of the unaccompanied minors in Greece a personal priority.

Specifically, on Wednesday, twelve unaccompanied children that have been staying on the islands of Lesvos, Chios and Samos will be relocated to Luxembourg, following an agreement reached by Alternate Migration and Asylum Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos with Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn.

EU Internal Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the UNCHR, the International Organisation for Migration and the European Asylum Agency all contributed to this effort.

The Aegean Airlines flight to Luxembourg will take off from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” at 09:00 on Wednesday morning.

Koumoutsakos, the special secretary for the protection of unaccompanied children Irini Agapidaki and the Ambassador of Luxembourg to Greece Paul Steinmetz will be at the airport to see the children off.

A second group of 50 children will leave Athens for Germany on Saturday, April 18.