(AP) Greece’s prime minister says Europe should be “very, very strict” when dealing with countries that he said are seeking to use migrants and refugees as a means of pressuring the European Union. Speaking Friday during a meeting in Athens with the […]
(Kathimerini) Turkey must resume the return of irregular migrants from Greece “without delay,” the European Commission’s enlargement chief, Oliver Varhelyi, said on Tuesday. “It is important for Turkey to resume returns of irregular migrants from Greece to Turkey without delay, and avoid […]
(Kathimerini) The two incidents of aggressive behavior by Turkish vessels against Frontex boats in the eastern Aegean on April 26 and 27 will be discussed at Friday’s extraordinary meeting of the European border agency’s board of directors. As Kathimerini revealed this week, […]
(Kathimerini) Greek Foreign Ministry sources on Wednesday dismissed the accusations of a Turkish government official who claimed that the country is violating the rights of its large Muslim minority, saying the community is “flourishing.” The comment came after visiting Turkish Deputy Foreign […]
(Kathimerini) Turkey has once again accused Greece of violating the rights of its Muslim minority based in the north of the country. After a visit to the port city of Thessaloniki and the northern province of Thrace during which he met with […]
(Anadolu) A senior Turkish diplomat on Wednesday visited Thessaloniki, a multiethnic Greek city with deep significance for both Ottoman and Turkish history. Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kiran was met at the city’s airport by Turkey’s Ambassador to Athens Burak Ozugergin and […]
(Kathimerini) “Very serious” incidents that violated international regulations reportedly took place on April 26 and 27 involving vessels of the Turkish Coast Guard and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. Kathimerini understands that the incidents occurred off the eastern Aegean […]
(AP) An independent investigation in Greece says authorities have failed to adequately respond to multiple allegations of summary deportations of migrants at the Greek-Turkish border. In a report released Thursday, the Greek ombudsman called on the government to respond to detailed allegations […]
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(Anadolu) Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday condemned the latest move by Greece on appointing the chief mufti and Athens’ treatment of Turkish descendants in Western Thrace. “Under Treaty of Lausanne, Greece has no right to appoint the chief mufti for […]
(Anadolu) Comments by Greece’s foreign minister regarding the identity of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace during a visit to Ankara drew strong reactions from the group’s minority institutions and organizations. “It is unacceptable to us that our Foreign Minister Mr. […]
(Anadolu) Athens has “no right” to appoint the chief Islamic cleric, or mufti, of Muslims living in Greece according to the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey’s president said on Friday. “How can you do that? We don’t appoint the patriarch,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan […]
(Kathimerini) As Greek authorities continue efforts to ease pressure on overcrowded migrant camps on the Aegean islands, 115 refugees [who] have been granted asylum were due to leave Lesvos on Tuesday for the mainland. The Athens-Macedonian News Agency reported that 500 refugees […]
(Reuters) The head of the European Commission said it will make a proposal to Turkey to ensure the flow of funding for refugees that the country hosts, adding that Ankara must however respect human rights and the rule of law. Ursula von […]
(AP) Greece is reporting a series of brushes with Turkey’s coast guard in the narrow stretch of water between the eastern Greek island of Lesbos and the Turkish coast, at a time of generally testy relations between the two neighbors and NATO […]
(Kathimerini) The US State Department’s annual report on human rights violations around the world published on Tuesday has criticized Greece over unsafe and unhealthy conditions for migrants and asylum-seekers detained in pre-removal facilities or residing at the country’s six reception and identification […]
(AFP) On the Greek island of Lesbos, the notorious camp of Moria still casts a long shadow, more than six months after it went up in flames. And after six years of being on the frontline of migratory pressure from nearby Turkey, […]
(Kathimerini) Legal procedures have been launched for the extradition to Belgium of three Iraqi nationals who were arrested in Athens last week on European arrest warrants. All three are accused of participating in a ring based in Belgium that trafficked migrants and […]
(Kathimerini) Ankara accused Athens on Tuesday of violating the rights of its Muslim minority, which it calls “Turkish,” and of pursuing policies against Turkey, saying Athens should instead “abide by international law.” In a statement issued after a three-hour meeting of Turkey’s […]
(AP) The European Union’s home affairs commissioner was meeting Tuesday with Greece’s prime minister and foreign minister, a day after touring two of the eastern islands in the Aegean Sea most heavily affected by migration into Europe. The EU is currently working […]
(AFP) The European Union said on Monday that Turkey must “urgently” resume accepting migrants from Greece, where thousands are being held in camps, days before EU chiefs are to visit Ankara. Greece, which has also been seeking support from EU allies in […]
(Reuters) Greece “can do more” to investigate reports it has pushed asylum-seekers back to Turkey, a senior European Union official said on Monday, as Greek authorities pledged a new migrant reception centre on the island of Lesbos would open in time for […]
(AP) The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries on the front line of mass migration to Europe want their EU partners to share the burden more equitably. “We can no longer be punished for our geographical position,” Malta’s Byron Camilleri said […]
(AP) The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries on the front line of mass migration to Europe are meeting in Greece to discuss the European Union’s policies as the bloc works toward a new migration pact. Ministers from Italy, Spain, Malta, […]
(AP) Five years after it was signed, the widely-criticized deal between the European Union and Turkey aimed at preventing migrants from entering Greece no longer works, but the Europeans insist it has served them well and will do so again. Not only […]
(Anadolu) Five years since signing a landmark migration agreement with the EU grappling with successive waves of asylum seekers fleeing conflict and persecution, Turkey now seeks to revise the deal, arguing that the bloc has failed to keep its promises. The deal […]
(AP) The European Union’s top migration official expressed concern Friday about a spike in the number of shooting incidents on the Turkish side of the country’s land border with Greece near where EU border officers have been patrolling. At least 3 incidents […]
(AFP) A Greek court has jailed two Afghan youths for five years for starting a fire that burnt down Europe’s largest migrant camp last year on the island of Lesbos, lawyers said on Wednesday. The Lesbos court handed down the sentences late […]
(Kathimerini) European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas on Friday briefed the committees on European affairs and public administration in the Greek Parliament on the EU’s continuing talks over the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, responding to criticism and concerns from all sides. […]
(Kathimerini) The Norwegian Embassy confirmed in a statement on Thursday that 35 asylum seekers left Athens for Oslo on Wednesday in the context of protecting vulnerable groups and supporting Greece. The 35 comprise seven families from Syria who are applying for asylum […]
(AP) An inquiry into claims that the European Union’s border and coast guard agency was involved in illegally pushing back migrants has found no link to Frontex in any of the incidents but has been unable to establish what happened in five […]
(Anadolu) Turkey’s president on Monday criticized the EU’s double standard of supporting Greece on the issue of migrants but not sharing responsibility for 4 million refugees hosted by Turkey. “While the EU gives Greece €3 billion [$3.65 billion] for 100,000 refugees, it […]
(Kathimerini) A total of 116 refugees from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, including 30 families with children, departed from the island of Lesvos on a charter flight to Hannover in Germany on Wednesday morning. It was the first direct flight from an Aegean […]
(AFP) There was an “unprecedented escalation” of human rights violations against migrants in the Aegean Sea last year, a campaign group said Friday, accusing Greece and the EU’s border patrol agency Frontex of being behind a soaring number of illegal returns to […]
(AP) U.N. agencies are pressing the European Union to end the growing practices of denying migrants their right to apply for asylum, collectively expulsing them and using violence against people trying to enter the bloc without authorization. Border pushbacks and collective expulsions […]
(AP) A Washington-based Syrian rights group filed a case with the International Criminal Court on Thursday, calling for an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity by Greece for its mistreatment of refugees. The Syria Justice and Accountability Center said witness testimony and […]
(Kathimerini) Greece will extradite to the Netherlands a 37-year-old Syrian asylum seeker who is wanted for suspected terrorism offences, it was announced Wednesday. The man, who arrived on the island of Samos from Turkey on 4 October 2018, was arrested at a […]
(Kathimerini) Turkey condemned on Monday the comments made by Greece’s top cleric about Islam, describing them as “presumptuous” and noting that they undermine efforts to restart the exploratory bilateral talks on maritime sovereignty which are scheduled to start later in January. “We […]
(Reuters) Greek authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Syrian asylum seeker wanted in the Netherlands for suspected terrorism offences, a police official said on Friday. The man arrived on the island of Samos from Turkey on Oct. 4, 2018, and was later transferred […]
(Kathimerini) Greece has submitted a request to the European Commission and the EU’s border agency Frontex, for the immediate return of 1,450 migrants whose asylum requests have been rejected, the country’s Migration Ministry announced on Thursday. From the 1,450 individuals that entered […]
(Kathimerini) A Greek court rejected on Wednesday an extradition request by Tajikistan against a 27-year-old national who is wanted on an international arrest warrant for his alleged ties to the ISIS terrorist group. The members of the Board of Appeals in the […]
(Politico) The EU’s anti-fraud watchdog, OLAF, has opened an investigation into Frontex, the bloc’s border agency, over allegations of harassment, misconduct and migrant pushbacks, according to four EU officials. OLAF investigators have been interviewing members of the Warsaw-based agency “since the start […]
(AP) A plane carrying 88 asylum-seekers, including 19 sick children, arrived in Germany on Thursday as part of the country’s pledge to take in migrants from camps in Greece, the Interior Ministry said. The charter flight was the last as part of […]
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(AP) The EU’s top migration official confirmed Wednesday that she retains confidence in the embattled head of Frontex, amid pressure on the bloc’s border and coastguard agency for an independent investigation of allegations it was involved in illegal pushbacks of migrants. Asked […]
(Reuters) Greece urged Turkey on Tuesday to do more to thwart irregular crossings of migrants into its territory, saying recent arrivals, particularly from Somalia, appeared to be coordinated. More than half of arrivals on the Greek island of Lesbos from Nov. 1 […]
(AP) European Union lawmakers lashed out Tuesday at the head of Frontex over allegations that the border and coast guard agency helped illegally stop migrants or refugees entering Europe, calling for his resignation and demanding an independent inquiry. The lawmakers grilled Executive […]
(Kathimerini) The 27-year-old from Syria who allegedly confessed to police that he was a member of ISIS will appear before an investigative magistrate after asking for a deferral on Monday. He appeared in court on Monday morning wearing a bulletproof vest and […]
(Kathimerini) A 27-year-old Syrian man suspected of being a member of the Islamic State terrorist organization is due to testify to an Athens magistrate Monday, following his arrest in the Greek capital last Thursday. The unnamed suspect entered Greece in March 2018 […]
(AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Turkey sees itself as a part of Europe, but he called on the European Union to “keep your promises” on issues such as the country’s membership bid and refugees. He spoke before an […]
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