Latvia to send humanitarian aid to Greece

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Latvia will send five power generators, 2,500 blankets and 1,000 towels from its reserves to Greece to help the country deal with the influx of refugees, according to a Tuesday government decree.

The total sum spent on the aid will not exceed €49,500.

The Interior Ministry noted that in mid-March EU member states were called to help Greece deal with the migration crisis. Greece had submitted a list of supplies it needed.

A deal was announced mid-March between Turkey and the EU, ending the flow of irregular refugees to Greek islands and starting the resettlement of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey to the EU.

Under the tit-for-tat deal Turkey demands an extra €3b and visa-free travel within the Schengen zone. The deal would see EU resettle one Syrian refugee from Turkish camps in exchange for every Syrian that Turkey takes from Greece.

Latvia has agreed to take in a total of 531 refugees from Italy and Greece, with the possibility that number could rise to a maximum of 776 if agreement can be reached with other EU member states.

Relocation from Greece has been very slow, with the first six refugees having arrived to Latvia early February.

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