BERLIN — Germany agreed on Tuesday to take in more than 1,500 refugees now living in Greece, in a challenge to other wealthy European countries that have been reluctant to help Greece resettle thousands of people left homeless after blazes last week destroyed Europe’s largest refugee camp. The decision followed intense debate within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, with some officials arguing that Berlin should wait to take action until there is a joint European Union response to the crisis in Greece. The German government will allow 1,553 people from 408 families who have already been recognized as refugees by Greece to settle in Germany, Steffen Seibert, Ms. Merkel’s spokesman, said on Tuesday. Germany had already agreed to take in around 1,200 other asylum seekers who have been housed in Greece — about 200 unaccompanied minors, and 243 children requiring medical treatment, along with their families. “In total, Germany will take in about 2,750 people from the Greek islands,” Mr. Seibert said in a statement, after the chancellor and her ministers reached agreement on the move.

Source: New York Times September 15, 2020 21:22 UTC