MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the report, monthly arrivals in Greece have decreased from the 67,415 recorded in January to 55,633 in February, while the total number of sea arrivals in Greece since the start of 2015 has reached 970,911. A threshold of one million arrivals of migrants and refugees in Greece is expected to be reached within the next two months.
"IOM estimates that 134,905 migrants already have crossed the Mediterranean this year. Of these, 125,819 have reached the Greek islands. The remainder landed in Italy. Media reports indicate that arrivals to Spain in 2016 are fewer than 100," the statement reads.
Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries to escape violence and poverty. Many of them take the West Balkan route, which crosses Greece, using the county as an entry point into the bloc from which they travel onward to wealthier EU states where they intend to apply for asylum.
The next meeting of the European Union and the Turkish leadership devoted to the refugee crisis is scheduled for March 7 in Brussels.
