Greece tightens border security and calls on EU to help stem migrant tide

A migrant throws a stone at Greek police and army personnel during clashes near the Kastanies border gate at the Greek-Turkish border, on Sunday. Migrants and refugees were trying to enter Greece by land and by sea despite Greece making clear it would not allow anyone in, after Turkey officially declared its western borders open to those hoping to head into the European Union. Photo: AAP

2 March 2020 11:55am

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Greece has said that it stopped nearly 10,000 migrants from crossing the country’s land border with Turkey in the space of 24 hours over the weekend. At the same time at least 500 people on seven vessels sailed to Lesbos, Samos and Chios.

The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared the latest influx of migrants a threat to national security after Greek border guards had to use teargas and stun grenades after migrants threw stones and metal bars at them at the Kastanies border post with Turkey on Saturday.

The influx to the borders became a flood after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday that he was allowing migrants access through its borders with two European Union member states, Greece and Bulgaria.

The BBC reported that Mr Erdogan decided to open the borders after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in Idib province in northern Syria. Over the weekend, a Turkish drone reportedly destroyed a Russian air defence system in northern Syria.

The Keep Talking Greece website reports that following an extraordinary meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), Greece will be tightening security to maximum levels on its eastern land and sea borders. It will also suspend asylum for a month and will speed up the repatriation of people coming into the country illegally.

Greece has also activated EU procedures and has called on the EU border protection agency Frontex to develop Rapid Border Intervention Teams to help to protect her eastern land and sea borders.

The Eureopean Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter that he would be inspecting the Greek-Turkish border with Mr Mitsotakis on Tuesday.

“Turkey has become a trafficker itself,” said Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Sunday evening, after the KYSEA meeting.“In recent days, Greece has been receiving sudden, massive, organized and coordinated pressure from population movements to its eastern, land and sea borders.”

“This movement is directed and encouraged by Turkey. These actions are in breach of the obligations arising from the European Union – Turkey Joint Declaration. Instead of limiting the rings of migrant and refugee traffickers, Turkey has become itself a trafficker.

“Due to its coordinated and massive nature, this movement has nothing to do with international asylum law which concerns only individual cases. Under these circumstances, the present situation constitutes an active, serious, exceptional and disproportionate threat to national security of the country,” said Mr Petsas.

The Russian news agency Sputnik reported Mr Petsas accused Turkey of using the migrants to put diplomatic pressure on Europe. Meanwhile, The Age reported that the offices of Sputnik were attacked by angry mobs in Ankara. Four of its journalists were taken for questioning by Turkish police and were released some hours later.