Thousands of migrants return to their home country

athens - Nearly eight thousand migrants have voluntarily returned from Greece to their homeland since the beginning of this year. The Greek police announced this in Athens on Tuesday.

'These are people who realize that they have no chance to get asylum in the EU and want to return voluntarily and safely,' said a Greek police officer. In the month of July alone, 841 people returned to their homeland, especially to Albania, Iraq and Pakistan.

The repatriations take place in close cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM offers migrants a return journey under the protection of safety authorities. Before the refugees get on the plane, they receive an amount of 500 to 1500 euros as a start for their lives in their homeland.