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Three children and two women were found dead, and the rescue teams are searching for another man. These are the victims in the two new refugee accidents near Farmakonisi and Kastelorizo islands.

110 people landed at Farmakonisi. The military found out that one of the children showed no signs of life and advised the port authorities on the island of Leros. A doctor arrived to officially confirm the child's death. According to his parents, the child fell into the water from the boat, and when they pulled her out of the water she wasn't breathing anymore. All refugees were taken to Leros.

The second incident took place a little later on Kastelorizo. A sailboat arrived at the island. Its passengers had rescued 11 people from the water while they were trying to reach the shore. A dead boy's body was also pulled on board. Those rescued said there were another four missing. The subsequent search found the bodies of two women and a boy; a man is still being looked for.

Yesterday, in a similar accident near the island of Kalymnos, three children and a woman lost their lives after their plastic boat overturned shortly before 11 pm north of Kalolimnos.

Three people are being sought: a man, a woman and a child. A total of ten men and two women have been rescued, including the man who was trafficking them. There was a total of 18 people on board.

Meanwhile, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos underlined the urgent need to put an end to hostilities in the Middle East and resolve the refugee issue in such a way as to uphold human dignity.

This morning, the president entertained the members of the International Secretariat and the committee chairpersons and rapporteurs of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy.

"It has to be understood how important the message of Orthodoxy for Europe and the world as a whole is today, when there is a humanitarian crisis even in our own country, and armed conflicts are flaring up, mainly in the Middle East, and sending out waves of refugees. We should address the issue in such a way as to protect human dignity," said the president.

He noted that since 1993 the I.A.O. has contributed significantly to the development of the European project, which is based on three pillars: ancient Greece – for its freedom and spirit; Rome – for its statehood and rule of law; and Christianity – for its solidarity and social justice.

The deputy foreign minister and I.A.O. secretary general, Yannis Amanatidis, gave assurances that I.A.O. is trying to alleviate the catastrophic consequences of the wars in the region and the persecution of large groups of people.

I.A.O. President Sergey Popov emphasised that International Secretariat members in their capacity as MPs in their own countries, "vigorously uphold the ideals and values of Christianity". The key objective, Popov said, is to ensure global stability, of which Orthodoxy is the cornerstone. Popov expressed Russia's gratitude as next year will be the year of Greece in Russia and of Russia in Greece.