Meeting of the Mayor of Ioannina with the Minister of Immigration and Asylum
The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, described Ioannina as a leading city in the management and integration of refugees and immigrants during a meeting he had today with the mayor of Ioannina, Thomas Bega.
Also present at the working meeting were the Secretary General of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection, Iraklis Moskof, the member of parliament of Ioannina from the ND, Maria Kefala, the deputy mayor of works Kostas Gogos and the Secretary General of the city of Ioannina, Konstantinos for children .
Mr. Panagiotopoulos had the opportunity to receive detailed information about the actions of the city so far in relation to immigration, as well as the proposal submitted by the city authority for funding to the Solidarity Fund 2024 and which is related to internal maintenance work. road network in the community of Peramas, to make pedestrian and road traffic safe, as well as the creation of activity areas for children and adults, as well as the renovation of sports and entertainment infrastructure, with a total budget of 600,000 euros.
The Mayor contacted the minister and GG for what the municipal authority did in 2016 when it unexpectedly welcomed the first wave of immigrants but also for what the city of Ioannito has done since then to this day both in the field of hospitality and integration of immigrants in our region.
“We had a very helpful discussion about an issue that is dynamic because the facts about immigration are constantly changing. I told the minister about the activities carried out in Ioannina from 2016 to the present day and how we managed to manage the hospitality of immigrants in our area. We continue with our activities in the field of integration and we want the ministry with knowledge and experience to be close to us. Mr. Minister showed his willingness to cooperate, so that with his guidance we can run other activities and programs for the benefit of both immigrants and the local society”, said Mr. Begas after the end of the meeting.
For his part, Mr. Panagiotopoulos pointed out that his trip to Ioannina was to map the situation in the hospitality structures of the region, which he visited twice.
“We talked about all the immigration issues, because it is a dynamic phenomenon and we have to be ready for every situation. We have been doing this for years in collaboration with the municipalities to welcome immigrants in an organized way so that they do not create problems in the local community. Ioannina is an example of organization and reception as such, without special distractions. For us, in addition to hospitality, part of integration into society and the local economy is important and that is why we are in collaboration with the municipalities. In any case, we must make use of the knowledge that exists and provide resources so that projects with a positive impact on the local community can be carried out,” said Mr. Panagiotopoulos, among others.
Finally, in her statements, Mrs Kefala noted, among other things:
“We welcome today in Ioannina the Minister of Immigration at a difficult geopolitical time for the country. We discussed ways in which the immigrant populations in the area can better integrate into society and the local economy. It is a given that our country has received a large flow of immigration in the previous years, so we should be ready as a state in cooperation with the local government and the society- social to respond better so that we can, among other things, prevent crime situations. which we see in other parts of Greece
