Since Monday, Germany has been controlling all external borders – for at least six months. Greece is anything but happy about this. “The tug of war with Berlin and the nightmare of 2015”, fears the Athens daily “Kathimerini” a European chain reaction of border closures, similar to those that led to the major refugee crisis in 2015. Days ago, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sharply criticized Germany’s actions.
Germany wants to turn away and repatriate more refugees through stricter border controls – also to Austria. This is causing dissatisfaction. Not only in Vienna, but especially in Athens. For many migrants from the Middle East, Greece is the first stop in Europe.
Greece: Concerns over more migrants in the country
It is said that due to the increased returns of people who have been granted asylum in Greece or who have applied for asylum there but have travelled on to Germany, as well as reduced social benefits for asylum seekers and rejections at the German borders, the number of migrants in Greece could rise sharply. again, according to a report by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
“Domino effect” for the first receiving countries
The newspaper “Apogevmatini” also does not skimp on criticism of Germany. The headline reads: “Germany blows up the Schengen Agreement” and predicts a “domino effect” for countries that receive first, such as Greece.
“Germany closes borders, Erdogan opens the floodgates. Concerns about the new migration crisis,” the newspaper “Eleftheros Typos” echoes the same sentiment.
Newspaper calls for alliance with Austria and Co.
And ‘To Vima’ writes: ‘Closed borders, open wounds’ and reports that Greece will not accept the return of migrants and is already forging alliances with the governments of Austria, Poland, but also Spain, Bulgaria and Malta.
Mitsotakis is angry with Germany
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had already criticized the German federal government’s decision to introduce border controls days ago.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told the Antena TV channel: “I want this to be clear and unambiguous: Greece will not be a punching bag for other countries. We are not the country that solves problems that, in my opinion, other European countries have created through wrong policies.”
Greece wants to strengthen border protection with Turkey
Athens has now announced that it will further extend the fence on the Turkish-Greek border river Evros and hire at least 150 additional border guards. Mitsotakis recently called on the EU to help with this. Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis stressed that with the measures Greece was not only protecting its borders but also its European borders. “We are complying with the latest EU asylum reform and also with the rules of the Schengen area,” he said during a visit to the border.
According to the EU border protection agency Frontex, the number of migrants arriving in other countries has fallen this year. Greece, by contrast, has registered an increase of almost 40 percent since the beginning of the year to around 37,000 residents, compared to the same period last year. However, very few are crossing the border from Turkey into Greece; according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there have been around 5,000 migrants so far this year.
By boat to the EU
However, more than 30,000 illegal immigrants have arrived by boat from the Turkish west coast to the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. In addition, the number of people leaving directly from Libya to Crete by boat has also increased: around 3,000 have arrived so far this year.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
