Greece says no plan for sea patrols with Turkey over migrant crisis
- 9 years ago
Greece said on Tuesday it had no plan to carry out joint sea patrols with neighbouring Turkey to stem an influx of migrants and refugees into Europe.
A record 400,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece this year from nearby Turkey, most fleeing war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq and hoping to reach wealthier northern Europe.
The member states of Europe, meanwhile, have struggled to agree on a strategy to control the flow of people.
"Greece ... never considered assigning to its navy or armed forces in general the task of confronting refugees of war, and nor can it even discuss the novel ideas expressed lately, such as that of joint Greek-Turkish patrolling of maritime borders," foreign ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras said in a statement.
He said that Greece wants to cooperate with Turkey to improve the management of migrant inflows and crack down on trafficking but that this could be done mainly by exchanging information or sending back migrants who arrive without documentation.
A record 400,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece this year from nearby Turkey, most fleeing war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq and hoping to reach wealthier northern Europe.
The member states of Europe, meanwhile, have struggled to agree on a strategy to control the flow of people.
"Greece ... never considered assigning to its navy or armed forces in general the task of confronting refugees of war, and nor can it even discuss the novel ideas expressed lately, such as that of joint Greek-Turkish patrolling of maritime borders," foreign ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras said in a statement.
He said that Greece wants to cooperate with Turkey to improve the management of migrant inflows and crack down on trafficking but that this could be done mainly by exchanging information or sending back migrants who arrive without documentation.