Alex Christoforou
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Erdogan’s failing attempt to flood Europe with migrants kept in Turkey as a weapon to pressure EU and NATO members to support his war in Syria.
So far the Greek and Bulgarian governments have held firm in keeping the borders closed to migrants being pushed towards border crossings by Turkish authorities.
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Can Bulgaria & Greece hold the line against Erdogan’s migrant push? by The Duran
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 486. The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Erdogan’s failing attempt to flood Europe with migrants kept in Turkey as a weapon to pressure EU and NATO members to support his war in Syria.
As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that soon the number of refugees crossing into Europe “will reach millions” unless the European Union takes responsibility for the crisis, Greece continued efforts to fortify its borders and diplomatic initiatives to tackle what it calls an “asymmetrical threat.”
On the diplomatic front, the government’s initiatives have led to a planned visit on Tuesday to the Greek-Turkish border in Evros by the presidents of the European Commission, Council and Parliament – Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel and David Sassoli – accompanied by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Even though Athens believes the visits send a powerful message, it is expecting practical support from its partners, stressing that Greece’s borders with Turkey are also European.
On Sunday, Greece announced emergency measures to tackle the crisis, including a further tightening of border controls to the maximum level, a temporary one-month suspension of asylum applications and the immediate return of undocumented migrants to their country of origin.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of refugees and migrants at the Greek border is estimated at around 13,000 people and tensions are rising as they try to push through.
Tensions were also running high on the islands following the arrival over the weekend of around 1,000 refugees and migrants, with locals trying to prevent one smuggling boat from docking.
A child died when one vessel capsized.
Meanwhile a military exercise with live ammunition was held in the Evros River border region by Greek army units on Monday, with the aim of sending out a message that Greece will not allow its national borders and security to be violated.
At the same time, EU border protection agency Frontex on Monday accepted Greece’s request for immediate assistance for the surveillance of the Evros border and the Eastern Aegean. Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri said the agency was withdrawing border guards participating in other operations so that they can be sent to Greece.
Senior Frontex officials told Kathimerini that border guards will arrive in Greece within the next five days, while technical assistance (boats, airplanes, vehicles, etc.) is expected in the next 10 days.
European officials, meanwhile, condemned Erdogan’s stance, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying that while she understands Turkey is facing a very big challenge in northwestern Syria, it is “wholly unacceptable” that instead of seeking a solution through dialogue with the EU, Erdogan is “taking it out on refugees.” Echoing similar sentiments, von der Leyen expressed sympathy with Turkey over its problems in Syria but noted that allowing refugees to amass at the Greek border “cannot be” the answer or the solution.
US President Donald Trump spoke on the telephone with Mitsotakis and reportedly acknowledged Greece’s right to implements its laws on its border.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, US defense chief Mark Esper said what Turkey does on its Greek border regarding refugees and migrants is “its own decision to make.”
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The refugees are the innocents caught in the middle: Europe, the US and Turkey started the wars that created the refugee crisis, and now these imperialist countries are crying over the consequenses they themselves created.
It all started when the US attacked Iraq. It has been down-hill ever since.
When the US attacked and occupied Afghanistan, it generated millions of refugees there as well. Pakistan is one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting nations and it has an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people from Afghanistan. Pakistan has 380 refugee camps. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the latest official number of Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran is estimated to be between 2 and 2.25 million. In addition to these figures, thousands of Afghani people were able to migrate to Pakistan and Iran with enough resources to support themselves. So we’re looking… Read more »
Have you seen some of these “refugees” amassing at the Greek Borders? Some of them were shown on TV news this evening – – well dressed, well fed, young men. What are they fleeing from? Perhaps from the SAA and Russian move to eradicate terrorists in Idlib? Perhaps these men ARE terrorists: they certainly are not genuine refugees.
Someone counting the women and children among the migrants at the Greek border said that they don’t make up more than 5%.
Erdogan is like that neighbor you wish one day moves away!
More like you wished had never moved in.
Way back when, when Germany started negotiating with Erdogan – offering money to hold migrants back, I commented that – dealing with Erdogan, was a big mistake. My hunch was right. This guy is an opportunist and blackmailer.
Remember Tito of Yugoslavia in the Soviet Union?
Yugoslavia wasn’t a member of the Soviet Union.
Why do Alex and Alexander still flog the dead horse of the coronavirus? It has been shown to be as much a scam as Zika, Ebola, swine flu, etc. People, hundreds of thousands of people, die every winter from pneumonia which is all this supposed virus is. Most of the people who have been ill have now recovered anyway. It’s worth looking at what Jon Rappaport is writing about it. In the case of Iran, my hunch is that it’s something completely different. As to letting the refugees into Europe, surely that is the agenda of the forces which control… Read more »
How is this invasion even legal? Why are the Greeks not pushing for Nato expulsion of Turkey or go to war…?