(ANSA) - ATHENS - Greece has recalled its ambassador from Austria after Vienna hosted a meeting with Balkan states on the migrant issue to which Greece was not invited. A Greek foreign ministry statement noted that the ambassador, Chrysoula Aleiferi, was being recalled ''in order to safeguard the friendly relations between the states and the people of Greece and Austria''. ''It is clear that the major problems of the European Union cannot be confronted via thoughts, attitudes and extra-institutional initiatives that have their roots in the 19th century, and nor can the decisions of the heads of state be supplanted by directives from police directors. The latter is a major problem for democracy. It points to the need for the European Union to be protected from various parties who are ignorant of history,'' it said.

''Unilateral initiatives to solve the refugee (crisis),'' the statement stressed, ''would undermine the very foundations of European unification''. ''Responsibility for dealing with the migration and refugee crisis cannot weigh on one country alone. Common sense dictates that effective handling of this complex problem should be governed by the principles of solidarity and fair burden sharing,'' it concluded. (ANSA).