Greece, Austria determined to address refugee crisis

A small group of Eritreans have left Italy for Sweden, the first contingent of asylum-seekers to be relocated under a European Union scheme to ease the burden of the migration crisis on frontline countries.

Thomas de Maiziere said in an interview published Friday that the number represents “a massive increase of xenophobic attacks against asylum-seekers”. It also authorizes the European Union and individual nations to board vessels “with a view to saving the threatened lives of migrants or of victims of human trafficking”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with senior officials in Brussels on Monday, and the EU’s executive Commission was due to unveil later Tuesday a memorandum detailing the way the bloc and Turkey plan to co-operate on migration.

Guterres is set to begin his mission on Saturday on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Alfano said Italy was ready to send 100 more asylum seekers to Germany and the Netherlands, and UNHCR said further relocations would take place at the beginning of next week.

Afghan refugees gather around a fire to warm themselves from the morning cold at the port of Mitylene on the northeast Greek island of Lesbos, while waiting to get on board a ferry traveling to Athens, early Friday, October 9, 2015.

A few countries, such as Slovakia and Cyprus, have expressed a preference for Christian refugees and Hungary has said the influx of large numbers of Muslim migrants threatens Europe’s “Christian values”.

The European Union is caught in a delicate balancing act, wanting to encourage Turkey to better control its borders amid continued criticism of the abuses of the Kurdish minority there and attacks on the media and justice system.

The list now only includes Syrians, Eritreans and Iraqis.

The global Organization for Migration says 2,989 migrants have died in 2015 while attempting to cross the Mediterranean and 580,238 have landed on European shores to escape war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. A 1-year-old boy was recovered unconscious and transported to a hospital, but rescuers were unable to revive him.

Cyprus authorities last month rescued 115 people fleeing Syria after their fishing boat ran into trouble off the island’s southern coast.