“The main topic of discussion at this time is of course the tremendous challenges you are facing in addressing the needs of so many desperate people fleeing war and persecution,”  Ban said in a press conference.

The UN chief acknowledged Greece's important contributions to the United Nations across the international agenda, and thanked the people of Greece for their global citizenship.

“Despite the country's own economic troubles, Greece has been generous in saving lives,” he said. However, “Greece should not be left to address this challenge on its own,” he added.

“I remained deeply distressed at the high number of deaths in the Mediterranean. We must work together to protect people and address the root causes of displacement. I continue to call for greater sharing of this responsibility across Europe and, indeed, across the world,” he said.

 Ban and the Prime Minister also discussed the conflict in Syria, recent terrorist attacks and other challenges that are causing large-scale suffering and instability, and the Middle East peace process.

On the progress made by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in their talks, which were conducted under his good offices and facilitated by his Special Adviser  Espen Barth Eide,  Ban welcomed the leaders' commitment, expressed in their joint statement last month, to reach a solution within the year.

 Ban also commended Greece for its active engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, noting that Greece has put in place an important coordination mechanism to address various human rights challenges – including migration, asylum and related issues.

Finally, they discussed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the climate change challenge. Greece joined 176 other nations in signing the landmark Paris Agreement two months ago in New York.

“Now we must bring the agreement into force as soon as possible -- and work for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Ban said.

He also met with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos yesterday and with Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Saturday before leaving for Lesbos, a Greek island, which has become migrants' entry point to Europe.