(ANSA) - MILAN, OCTOBER 21 - Greece celebrated its National Day at Expo Milano 2015 alongside Enterprise Greece (the company managing the country's presence) with the #Europeembraces! initiative.

The initiative aimed to collect food and basic goods for the migrants arriving on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea through the setting up of areas for donation such as the Greece and Sicily areas at the Bio-Mediterranean Cluster, the Coop's FFD and the EU pavilion. Items requested included: basic clothing for men, women and children, personal hygiene and home cleaning products, food that does not spoil easily and scholastic materials. The director of the Greek pavilion, Teti Perissaki, and the head of the Enterprise Greece board as well as deputy commissioner of the Greek pavilion, Christos Staikos, called on the head of the Sicilian regional government, Maria Lo Bello, to support the campaign. ''The refugee emergency is a challenge that must be dealt with by both Greece and Sicily, as a center of initial reception,'' Lo Bello said. ''Any policy adopted must stem from the perception that the journey taken by thousands of migrants every day is that of their sole hope for a better life.'' ''October 21 marks the beginning of European powers' commitment to deal jointly with the refugee issue,'' Perissaki added. ''The countries of southern Europe have called for a real response, not one solely to resolve practical problems, but also one that carries with it the hope of a new life.'' (ANSA).