Dimitris Kairidis

The Migration and Asylum Ministry is working on a draft law to modernize the administrative mechanism granting resident permits to legal migrants.

"We have a duty to continue our fight against human trafficking and to ensure legal avenues for migration," stated Migration and Asylum Minister Dimitris Kairidis on Wednesday, at a ceremony for the handover of the presidency of the International centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) to Greece from Turkey.

The Greek government has expressed its satisfaction at the completion of the political negotiations between the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission for the adoption of the new European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, three years after the start of the discussions.

Turkey's interior minister has reportedly told three Greek government ministers that it is Turkey's intention to stop the flow of migrants at sea in the same way as it stemmed the migration flow on land.

Dimitris Kairidis, the Greek minister for migration, said late Tuesday that the number of migrants arriving on Greece's islands illegally had dropped by about 60% over the past two months thanks in large part to better coordination with Turkey's coast guard.

Athens is gearing up to implement a one-year visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens visiting the Aegean islands, Greek and Turkish local media has reported.

The move comes following collaborative efforts aimed at fostering improved ties between the historically strained neighbors.

Greece and Turkey said on Monday they had agreed to cooperate in the management of migration.

Migration minister Dimitris Kairidis said on Tuesday that the government is planning a major regularization program for migrants to meet pressing demands in the labor market despite a recent increase in illegal arrivals.