The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Francesco Rocca announced an initial 300,000 euro support fund for the Hellenic Red Cross (HRC), in statements after his Thursday visit to the Kastanies border station at the Greek-Turkish border in the Evros region. 

A general strike has been called on Wednesday on the islands of the north Aegean affected by the refugee and migrant crisis.

"The visit of two leading members of the European Commission, Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, is a political message of support to our country in finding practical solutions to effectively confront the migration crisis," the head of the European Commission representation in Greece Panos Karvounis said in a statement on Thursday.