Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata on Thursday to discuss about the refugee issue.

Mr. Tsipras called Gennimata’s initiative to meet him and discuss the refugee issue very good “because it is a matter that exceeds party contradictions” he said adding that it is “a matter that concerns the whole of Europe, an international issue but it concerns particularly our country”.

The prime minister expressed the opinion that it is important to deal with the problem through a progressive approach and show a human face to the refugees.

On her part, Gennimata underlined that “the discussion on Greece’s exit from the Schengen zone must come to a halt” adding that “regardless of the Greek government and the European institutions mistakes and delays we must deal with the problem in its real dimensions” and noted that it is not only a Greek problem and that Greece should not bear the whole burden of the refugees issue.

PASOK leader stressed that she undertook a series of initiatives and has briefed the European Socialists at Malta meeting and that she has sent a letter to PES president Sergey Stanishev last Saturday as well as to the president of the Socialists-Democrats of the europarliament Gianni Pittella, to European parliament president Martin Schulz and to the leaders of all the socialist parties of Europe. She also said that Gianni Pittella responded very positively.

Gennimata said she will continue in this direction and noted that it’s “the time of Greece and Europe’s common action”.

Gennimata noted that Greece’s European partners must not load all the responsibility onto Greece, which was being asked to face a crisis within a crisis adding that Greece’s European partners must not load all the responsibility onto Greece, which was being asked to face a crisis within a crisis.