Homeless migrants moved
The operation by the Hellenic Police to transfer migrants and refugees to a new camp in Kara Tepe on the island of Lesvos was on the verge of completion at the weekend. The migrants and refugees were left homeless after the camp they were staying in at Moria was completely destroyed by fires on September 8 and 9. By Saturday morning, 9,000 people had already entered the new camp. All were identified and their asylum application process launched. They also underwent health checks, with more than 200 testing positive for the coronavirus. Positive cases are being isolated in a separate part of the new camp. Also today all the businesses in the area near Moria that had been closed since September 9 are expected to be open.
Offensive language.
The government in Athens has condemned a Greek newspaper’s offensive language against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying “offensive language is contrary to our values.” “Free speech and independence of the press are cherished by the Greek people and protected in our Constitution. This, however, does not negate the responsibility to respect a foreign leader,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas said in a comment published on his official Twitter account. On Friday, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Greece’s ambassador to the country to lodge a formal complaint. The controversial headline – telling “Mr Erdogan” to “f**k off” in Turkish, with the insult translated into English with an asterisk below – appeared in Friday’s issue of the Dimokratia newspaper. The headline also prompted a reaction from the Greek Foreign Ministry, which said in an announcement that freedom of the press “does not negate the obligation to refrain from insulting the personality of any individual, particularly a foreign leader.”
Dendias, NATO. Foreign minister Nikos Dendias and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean in a phone call on Saturday morning, ministry sources say. The two discussed progress toward creating a mechanism to de-escalate tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey. Greek and Turkish military officers will meet again next week with NATO Military Committee Chairman Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.
Hefty fines. Two men in western Greece accused of violating the safety measures related to the coronavirus were slapped on Saturday with fines totaling 30,000 euros for organizing events with large numbers of people. Police said that during inspections in the city of Kato Achaia, they found that the two men had organized weddings at which the number of guests exceeded the maximum allowed. In addition, police said the two organizers disrupted the peace by playing loud music. The case against the two men will be submitted to the prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Patra.