Greece and Germany have agreed to slow the reunification of refugee families divided between the two nations during their scramble to safety, according to a leaked letter published on Monday. "Family reunification transfer to Germany will slow down as agreed," Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas wrote to German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere in a May 4th letter obtained by leftist daily Efimerida ton Syntakton. Asylum seekers - mostly Syrian refugees in Greece's case - are entitled to join family members elsewhere in the European Union within six months from the date their request is approved. In his letter, Mouzalas said Berlin and Athens had to agree on a "common line" to address "increasingly desperate and critical comments" so that Athens is not blamed for the delays. He then suggests a joint response: "We understand that asylum seekers are eager to meet with their family, but given that both Greece and Germany have very large asylum seeking populations, delays are inevitable."

Source: The Local May 29, 2017 14:15 UTC