Greece government says it will renew a request for European Union funds in 2022 in order to extend a border wall along the country’s frontier with Turkey.
According to public order minister Takis Theodorikakos, the government expects some countries bordering the EU to continue to exploit migration to exert political pressure on member states, citing the recent crisis in Belarus on its border with Poland and other EU members.
In addition to the wall, the government wishes to expand a surveillance network to prevent illegal entry to the country.
“We have every reason to expect that these kinds of threats will continue. We believe the security on our own borders is linked to the security of the EU,” Theodorikakos said, explaining the an artificial intelligence-driven system is necessary to track incidents.
“This automated system gives us many operational advantages and helps us monitor the entire border region”.
In saying that, the government rebutted repeated allegations by human rights and migrant advocacy groups that the border interceptions include illegal summary deportations known as pushbacks.
