Palestinian refugees have voiced eagerness for positive moves regarding their demands for humanitarian asylum after the center-right Greek government announced on Wednesday its decision to establish a separate ministry of migration affairs.

The decision comes as the country struggles to cope with a high number of arrivals of migrants and refugees from neighboring Turkey, international news portals have reported.

Notis Mitarakis has been appointed migration and asylum minister, while Giorgos Koumoutsakos has been appointed alternate minister, according to a statement from a government spokesperson.

"The government, from the first moment, followed a different policy on the refugee-migration issue. With a comprehensive plan based on four axes: guarding the borders, speeding up asylum procedures, increased returns and closed pre-departure centers,” Stelios Petsas announced.

Petsas said the new ministry will ensure the decongestion of the islands which carry the greatest burden in receiving refugees and migrants.

Mitarakis has until now served as deputy minister of labor and social affairs, while Koumoutsakos has been the alternate minister for immigration policy.

Nearly 75,000 migrants and refugees arrived in Greece last year, a 50% increase from the annual total in 2018, according to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

Scores of Palestinian refugees have disembarked in Greece over recent years, fleeing the conflict, persecution, and economic hardship.