Greek reporter slams Greece's treatment of refugees

BERLIN (AA) - A Greek journalist slammed her country’s cruel treatment of refugees but praised Turkey for providing "5-star hotel" conditions for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

"I am ashamed of the situation in refugee camps in Greece. Not only as a Greek citizen, but also as a European," Liana Spyropoulou said in an article she wrote for German daily Bild, after visiting refugee camps on Greek islands and in neighboring Turkey.

"We are indifferent to the living conditions of refugees who are sleeping in mud, on the ground, next to the piles of garbage," she said, referring to the overcrowded refugee camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos.

"As I visited camps in Turkey for the Syrian refugees, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Compared with the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, they looked like 5-star hotels," she said.

The veteran journalist praised conditions at Turkey's Altinouzu and Kilis refugee shelters, applauding Turkish authorities for helping millions of refugees live in dignity.

Spyropoulou accused the Greek government of deliberately keeping refugee camps in the country in poor conditions to discourage new arrivals.

"The EU and the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] are also offering help to Greece.

"Greece doesn’t need to pay for anything, it should only order beds, mattresses, heaters, kitchen and security systems -- but our authorities do not want this! It's an incredible shame!" she stressed.

Greece hosts around 65,000 refugees and irregular migrants.

Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world. Ankara has so far spent $40 billion for the refugees, according to official figures.