The Greek government on Tuesday afternoon announced new measures to deal with the issue of illegal immigration, which abruptly came back into the national spotlight with the arrival of thousands of refugees and economic migrants on Greek isles since the beginning of the year.

In a reversal of previous policy initiated by the leftist government since it assumed power in late January 2015, new arrivals will be transported to “closed reception centers, camps and other buildings for “necessary health tests” and where better hygiene and security conditions will exist.

As previously stated on Tuesday, the foreign nationals will then be separated between those deemed as “refugees” and those that are “migrants”.

As far as Syrian war refugees who are eligible for asylum status, the government promised “all necessary documents”. Initially, the government spokesman on Tuesday referred to “travel documents” to travel elsewhere in Europe, a position that was “revised” in less than two hours.

Besides the mostly humanitarian measures, the government promised to take up the problem at a coming EU summit, where Athens will seek support from European partners, i.e. it wants other EU countries to take in refugees that make it to its shores.

“The refugee problem is an international one, not a Greek one. It demands seriousness, calm-headedness and above all compassion. At the moment political games and cheap populism in dealing with human lives is inconceivable,” government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis said.

Minister: 1.65 million refugees waiting on Turkish coast

Later in the evening, Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis warned from Parliament that no less than 1.65 million refugees were across the Aegean in Turkey waiting to cross onto Greek islands, and from there to other European countries.