Greece’s Decision to Return 10,000 Syrian Refugees to Turkey

The Greek government plans to return 10,000 Syrian refugees to Turkey by 2020.

This decision was made during an emergency cabinet meeting of the Greek government following a fire at a refugee camp that resulted in the death of one woman and injury to 17 people.

In the aforementioned camp, 12,000 refugees are living, which is four times the camp’s capacity.

Following the fire at the refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, reports emerged of clashes between refugees and police, an issue that prompted the government to consider returning these individuals to Turkey or mainland Greece.

Four years ago, approximately 850,000 Syrian refugees entered Greek islands from Turkey. Reports indicate that in the past month alone, 9,000 new refugees have entered Greece.

United Nations statistics show that between 2016 and August 2019, approximately 310,000 new refugees entered Greece.

Source: Voice of America