However, Frontex did not initially confirm the facts. A photo of naked men circulated in a tweet by Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis on Saturday, claiming to prove the incident. The minister accused Turkey of sending people across the border. Turkey’s behavior towards the 92 migrants rescued by Greek border guards on Evros is a disgrace to civilization. Ankara is expected to investigate the incident, Mitarakis wrote.
refugees sent from Turkey?
The Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection also confirmed the incident. Thus, police from the Greek border guards rescued the people “in cooperation with Frontex”. The migrants were naked and had no luggage with them, it said in a statement on Saturday. Some of the migrants told Greek authorities that they were transported to the river in three vehicles owned by Turkish authorities and put on rubber boats to cross to Greece. Some of the people reportedly suffered injuries, according to a Greek police statement. The migrants were dressed and cared for.
Athens wants to almost completely close the border of the Evros River in the northeast of the country because of the increase in the number of illegal border crossings from Turkey. The 35 kilometers of existing border fence along the river are being extended by 80 kilometers. Not only on Evros, but also in the eastern Aegean Sea, Greek border guards have recently recorded a significant increase in the number of refugees.