Migrants find new route out of Greece – as Turkey threatens deal

THE Greek coastguard has rescued 9 migrants attempting to get to Italy from the Greek island of Lefkada.

It is the first time migrants have been picked up trying to cross to Italy by boat since the Greek land border with Macedonia was closed in March.

The migrants, including two children aged four and five, were found adrift in the Ionian Sea on Sunday. Their dinghy had apparently been cut adrift by smugglers around 15 nautical miles from Lefkada.

Thousands of migrants streamed through the Greek border with Macedonia last year heading for Germany via the Balkans.

But border controls have been tightened leaving thousands stranded in Greece, leading to fears many may now risk attempting to get to Italy by sea.

The EU’s border agency Frontex yesterday revealed how 13,800 migrants were rescued between North Africa and Italy last week.

Meanwhile Turkey yesterday warned that it will rip up a £4.7billion deal with Brussels to stop migrants crossing to the Greek islands unless the EU makes it easier for its citizens to visit Europe.

The row threatens to wreck the agreement and re-open the route just as the continent struggles to cope with a mass influx of people into Italy from North Africa.

Officials said yesterday that nearly 14,000 migrants had been rescued off the coast of Libya in just the past week.

Under the deal signed by EU leaders and Turkey in March, it was agreed that Europe would hand over billions to fund Turkish refugee camps and loosen travel rules for its 80million citizens if it took back all migrants arriving on the Greek islands.

But the agreement is on the verge of collapse because Turkey has failed to meet all 7 criteria set out by the EU for it to fulfil before its people are allowed to travel to continental Europe without needing visas.

The main sticking point is a requirement for Turkey to change its laws so academics and journalists can no longer be prosecuted as terrorists.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday said it was ‘impossible’ for the country to make the alterations and warned the EU again that it is ready to abandon the deal.

‘We have told them “we are not threatening you” but there’s a reality,’ he said. ‘The number crossing to Greek islands in October was around 6,800. Now, it is around 30 daily. We have stuck to our promise.’