ROME (Sputnik) – "It’s not the number that counts, it’s not the fact that only 19 people were on board, but it is the act that counts. It is actually today that the program starts to be implemented,” Avramapoulos said at a press conference immediately after the flight took off from Rome.
Avramapoulos said that though this is only the beginning of relocated refugees, the European Union must protect those refugees who are legally in Europe and return those who have arrived on false pretentions.
“And I make an appeal from here in the name of Europe, in the name of our president, Jean-Claude Juncker, let’s move ahead, let’s address this issue, let’s give hope to these people, but also let’s put rules, let’s fight smuggling, let’s start the project of returning the ones who are irregularly or illegally in Europe and provide support and help to those in need of international protection,” he added.
