View of the border between Greece and Turkey, which lies behind the railway along the river Evros. File photoATHENA, Aug 23A fence on the Greek-Turkish border will be built along the entire length of the Evros River, the decision was made on Tuesday by the government's National Security Council KYSEA. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the press service of the head of government reported. «At the meeting, among other issues, the problem of increased pressure due to illegal penetration into our country both from our land and sea borders was discussed. It was resolved gradually expand the fence along the entire length of Evros, with priority at points of contention determined by the relevant ministries and the National Defense General Staff,» the message reads.The Prime Minister of Greece said that Athens would not agree with changing the borders of Ukraine. A tender will be held for the construction of the fence. It was also decided to modernize and strengthen surveillance equipment at the border, the press service reported. The KYSEA meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Citizens Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos, Immigration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis, Shipping and Island Policy Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianidis, State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Government Spokesperson Yiannis Ikonomou, EYP National Intelligence Officer Themistoklis Demiris , Chief of the National Defense Staff General Konstantinos Floros, Head of the Prime Minister's Diplomatic Office Anna Maria Bura and National Security Adviser Thanos Dokos. The authorities are again trying to use immigration as a tool, and a new phase of the immigration crisis is taking place “like a hybrid attack on Greece.” “Only in one day on August 18, more than 1.5 thousand migrants tried to get through Evros. 38 migrants rescued last week by Greek authorities complain they were forcibly taken to an island in Evros by Turkish authorities. In recent days, 60 smugglers have been arrested and brought before a Greek court,» Ikonomou said.Turkey does not plan to fight with Greece, Erdogan said Last week, about 40 migrants got stuck on an island on the Evros River, a 5-year-old girl died from a scorpion sting. She could not be buried and her body was kept in water for several days. The Greek authorities said they are not responsible for the incident with migrants, as the island is located on Turkish territory. The opposition sharply criticized the government and said the prime minister had established «a barbaric regime unworthy of any man.» Soon this group of migrants was found on Greek territory, they said that they were forcibly sent by the Turkish authorities. After the incident, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, told the Skai radio station that the fence on Evros will be extended by about 80 kilometers. Greece has a long experience in building fences on the border with Turkey. After thousands of illegal migrants from Turkey tried to break into Greek territory in late February-early March 2020, Greece built a new 26-kilometer fence and upgraded the old sections of the fence 10 kilometers long in the Evros region in the northeast country, on the border with Turkey. The length of the border between Greece and Turkey on Evros is about 200 kilometers. border
