Turkey has been an ongoing menace to Greece. Early in August, women on the Greek island of Lesvos protested the inundation of illegal Muslim migrants. “‘They took advantage of our humanity and tolerance,’ said a protester, remembering that the people of Lesvos were once nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for their role in assisting illegal immigrants since 2015.” In June, illegal Muslim migrants built a mosque on a woman’s property near a migrant camp, while officials and police did nothing. And in July, Turkey provoked Greece by accusing it of showing “enmity towards Islam” because of its opposition to the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque.
Turkish President Erdogan flexed his muscles at Greece last month when Turkish spy planes violated Greece airspace 45 times; he is flexing it at the EU, too, as he threatens to “open the gates” to Europe and flood it with illegal migrants. Now, “Greece is preparing for the possibility of a repeat of the events that unfolded along the border in late February to March, when the country was inundated by tens of thousands of migrants. The Greek government had claimed to have stopped over 50,000 from entering the country.”
How Greece and the EU deal with Erdogan in the coming days and weeks — as his influence rises in the Middle East (and evidently beyond) — is crucial.
“Greece Strengthens Border as Minister Warns of New Migrant Surge,” by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart, September 8, 2020:
Greek Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Giorgos Koumoutsakos has warned that Turkey may unleash another wave of migrants into Greece.
Mr Koumoutsakos said that over the past 15 days, the land border with Turkey in the Evros region had seen a new wave of migratory pressure, warning that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could open the gates for migrants, as he did earlier in the year.
He added that he suspected the Erdogan regime would threaten to open the gates to Europe if sanctions are considered at an EU summit scheduled for the 24th and 25th of September, newspaper Proto Thema reports.
“If Erdogan flirts with the thought of exerting pressure through migration, he may not stop at Evros but move on to the islands,” Koumoutsakos said, referring to the Aegean islands, where migrant camps are already heavily overcrowded.
To help fortify the Evros border even further, Greece is expecting 400 new border guards, agents of the European Union border agency Frontex, and an expansion of the eight miles of fencing already in place by March 2021.
Michalis Chrysochoidis, Greek Minister for Citizen Protection, said the expansion would cost around €63 million (£57m/$74m) to complete, adding: “The mission and character of the fence are defensive. It will contribute to the defence and protection of our country.”
Greece is preparing for the possibility of a repeat of the events that unfolded along the border in late February to March, when the country was inundated by tens of thousands of migrants. The Greek government had claimed to have stopped over 50,000 from entering the country.
Turkish President Erdogan flexed his muscles at Greece last month when Turkish spy planes violated Greece airspace 45 times; he is flexing it at the EU, too, as he threatens to “open the gates” to Europe and flood it with illegal migrants. Now, “Greece is preparing for the possibility of a repeat of the events that unfolded along the border in late February to March, when the country was inundated by tens of thousands of migrants. The Greek government had claimed to have stopped over 50,000 from entering the country.”
How Greece and the EU deal with Erdogan in the coming days and weeks — as his influence rises in the Middle East (and evidently beyond) — is crucial.
“Greece Strengthens Border as Minister Warns of New Migrant Surge,” by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart, September 8, 2020:
Greek Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Giorgos Koumoutsakos has warned that Turkey may unleash another wave of migrants into Greece.
Mr Koumoutsakos said that over the past 15 days, the land border with Turkey in the Evros region had seen a new wave of migratory pressure, warning that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could open the gates for migrants, as he did earlier in the year.
He added that he suspected the Erdogan regime would threaten to open the gates to Europe if sanctions are considered at an EU summit scheduled for the 24th and 25th of September, newspaper Proto Thema reports.
“If Erdogan flirts with the thought of exerting pressure through migration, he may not stop at Evros but move on to the islands,” Koumoutsakos said, referring to the Aegean islands, where migrant camps are already heavily overcrowded.
To help fortify the Evros border even further, Greece is expecting 400 new border guards, agents of the European Union border agency Frontex, and an expansion of the eight miles of fencing already in place by March 2021.
Michalis Chrysochoidis, Greek Minister for Citizen Protection, said the expansion would cost around €63 million (£57m/$74m) to complete, adding: “The mission and character of the fence are defensive. It will contribute to the defence and protection of our country.”
Greece is preparing for the possibility of a repeat of the events that unfolded along the border in late February to March, when the country was inundated by tens of thousands of migrants. The Greek government had claimed to have stopped over 50,000 from entering the country.
