Increasing number of refugees crossing from Türkiye to Greece
The number of refugees crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece has increased, with 800 arriving in the past two days. Criticism from human rights defenders about the situation on the Greek islands has also intensified.
On Wednesday, October 30, the official Greek news agency reported, citing the country's coast guard, that the number of refugees leaving Turkey and crossing the northern Aegean Sea to Greece is increasing.
In the past two days alone, 800 refugees have arrived in the city of Alexandroupolis.
Traveling this way is far less dangerous than crossing the strait between Greece and Türkiye in the eastern Aegean Sea.
Furthermore, refugees crossing the Greek land border are no longer covered by the EU's migration agreement with Türkiye.
According to this document, signed in 2016, only asylum seekers who entered the Greek islands via the eastern Aegean can be returned to Turkey, if their asylum application has not been approved.
The number of refugees on the Aegean islands has decreased in recent months, reaching 14,000 in April. Currently, there are about 35,000 refugees in camps on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos.
The number of asylum seekers on the islands has been unprecedented since March 2016, after the EU-Türkiye deal was signed.
Criticism of the poor conditions of the camps
According to the German news agency, the situation in refugee camps on the Greek islands has drawn increasing criticism from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The situation at the central residence on the island of Samos in particular has been reported as “abnormal.” The shelter was built for 650 people but is currently home to around 6,000.
The situation on the island of Lesbos is also dire. The Moria shelter, which has a capacity of 2,840 people, is home to 14,400 refugees.
The Turkish president has repeatedly threatened to open the way for refugees to reach the European Union. Recep Tayyip Erdogan last warned the European Union on October 10 that he would send millions of refugees to the EU if it did not stop criticizing Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria.
Bavaria ready to help border guards in Greece
On Wednesday, Joachim Herrmann, the Interior Minister of the German state of Bavaria, who traveled to Greece for an official visit, announced the state's readiness to assist the Greek Coast Guard.
Hermann stressed that EU member states should help the "Frontex border agency" to better protect the Union's borders.
"Nobody wants a repeat of what happened in 2015 in Germany," he stressed.
More than a million refugees and migrants entered Germany this year. Since then, xenophobia in Germany has intensified and the far-right has strengthened.
Source: DW
