Greeks ask aid sealing borders
EU implored to help after Turkey lets migrants, refugees pass
KASTANIES, Greece — Thousands of migrants and ref- ugees searched for ways to cross Greece’s border with Turkey on Tuesday, as Athens ramped up its diplomatic efforts for help from the European Union to seal off its eastern land and sea frontiers.
Turkey has made good on a threat to open its borders for those seeking to cross into Europe. Many hoping to enter Greece, which has made clear its border is shut, were trying their luck by wading or rowing across the Evros River that runs along most of the land frontier.
The action by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan triggered days of violent clashes and scenes of chaos at the land border, while hundreds of others have headed to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast in dinghies. Greece has struggled to push back the wave of migrants, with its armed forces now leading the effort.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis toured the troubled border along with top EU officials, including European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
Mitsotakis said Turkey was breaching a 2016 agreement with the EU on migration and “has systematically encouraged and assisted tens of thousands of refugees and migrants to illegally enter Greece. It has failed, and will continue to fail, should it continue to pursue this strategy.”
“This is no longer a refugee problem. This is a blatant attempt by Turkey to use desperate people to promote its geopolitical agenda,” he said.
The government has called the situation a direct threat to Greece’s national security and imposed emergency measures to carry out swift deportations and freeze asylum applications for one month. Migrants have been reporting being summarily pushed back across the border into Turkey.
The Greek army and navy held live fire exercises across the eastern border areas for a second day Tuesday to reinforce the message of deterrence.
Greek authorities said they had prevented more than 26,000 people from entering Greece between Saturday morning and Tuesday afternoon, and arrested 218.
“This is not only a Greek border but it is also a European border, and I stand here today as a European at your side,” von der Leyen said. She said those at the borders had “been lured by false promises into this desperate situation.”
Turkey’s announcement Thursday that it would not stop those wishing to cross into Europe came amid a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive into Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, where Turkish troops are fighting.
The offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and sent nearly a million Syrian civilians toward Turkey’s sealed border. However, Oleg Zhuravlev, head of the Russian military’s coordination center in Syria, said Tuesday the claims about a humanitarian crisis in Idlib were false.
Zhuravlev also said Turkish authorities were “herding” about 130,000 refugees who were in temporary camps near the Turkey-Syria border toward the border with Greece. “Two thirds of them aren’t Syrians, they are Afghans, Iraqis and people from African nations,” he said.
Human-rights groups said the Greek response, while justified, has been heavy handed. “Showing humanity and defending rights is the best way to defend the EU borders,” said Lotte Leicht, EU director at Human Rights Watch.