ATHENS — The Greek government will closely collaborate with the new permanent UNICEF office in Greece on a national policy plan for children's protection and welfare, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Representative of the organization's Greek office Luciano Calestini during an e-meeting on Friday, World Children's Day.

According to government sources, the national policy plan will provide support to children over the next decade.

"It is a very significant day and we are very happy that you will now have an office in Greece," Mitsotakis told Calestini.

"UNICEF is a very important organization for Greece," he exclaimed, adding that in the face of many different challenges "we must also adapt our strategies to the evolving needs for child protection."

The Greek Premier briefed the UNICEF official about the work carried out so far by the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors Irini Agapidaki.

It was noted that Greece removed all unaccompanied refugee minors from the country's refugee reception and identification centers and from detention centers, increased the capacity of refugee accommodation centers by 36 pct, and relocated 460 unaccompanied children and another gravely ill children with their family members to other EU member states.

Mitsotakis also stressed that he will help tackle the issue of child obesity in Greece. He also mentioned psychiatrist Argyris Stringaris, who is the Senior Investigator of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) in the US, and who intends to set up a model Mental Health Center in Greece.