Germany resumes refugee reunification from Greece; 200 refugees optimistic to join families

Nearly 200 refugees seeking to join their families in Germany left Greece on Monday, the Greek migration ministry said, reviving a reunification programme that had been stalled since last year.

The 177 refugees mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq boarded a special charter plane to Munich, the ministry said in a statement.

"The departure of the first 177 refugees is part of an administrative arrangement between Greece and Germany for the completion of family reunifications already approved by Germany," the ministry said.

"More flights of this nature will follow," it added.

Some 2,000 refugees are expected to join families in Germany from Greece, a ministry source told AFP.

In turn, Greece and Spain agreed in June to take back refugees who reached the German border after earlier requesting asylum in the two countries.

A decision by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to welcome refugees in 2015 is deemed to have cost her politically, and harsh infighting on immigration still rages in her 2017 coalition government.

As a result, the reunification programme slowed in 2017 before halting altogether.