ATHENS – Main opposition SYRIZA called upon the government on Saturday to refrain from ineffective moves aiming at satisfying its far-right audience and finally deal with the essence of the refugee problem.

In a statement, the party’s press office noted that “faithful to its ideals” the government is abolishing the allowances to refugees who have already received asylum.

These are allowances that do not burden the state budget as they are financed by the UNHCR and the EU, SYRIZA explained, while stressing that “this harsh and unfair choice undermines social cohesion at a critical time.”

It also accused the government of being incapable of dealing with the refugee issue and trying to satisfy its far-right audience. Moreover, it made a call on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi to focus on the essence of the problem: the need to decongest the islands, internationalise the issue and promote policies for the integration of refugees that are legally in the country.