Greece erects fence at Turkey border to prevent Afghan refugee influx

Athens [Greece], August 22 (ANI): In a bid to prevent the influx of Afghan refugees from the Turkish border, Greece has erected a 25-mile fence and installed a new surveillance system, a media report said on Saturday.

“Our borders will remain safe and inviolable. And we will not allow any indiscriminate inflow of refugees,” Voice of America (VOA) quoted Greek Public Order Minister Michalis Chryssochoidis as saying on Saturday.

Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos also said that the Greek fence along the shallow Evros river that separates the country from Turkey is just part of a bigger plan pieced together by authorities to further shield the country against a new migration crisis.

“We are on alert, but Greece will continue to protect itself from any threat,” he added, VOA reported.

Officials have installed special surveillance systems, including a fleet of drones and night cameras across the new fence.

Since 2015, the country has been facing a recurring refugee crisis as then Syrian refugees entered the country in large numbers in an attempt to leave the conflict zone and have a decent life.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on other European countries to take responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, stating that Ankara has no obligation to be a “Europe refugee warehouse”.

“Europe, which has become the centre of attraction for millions of people, cannot stay out of this problem by closing its borders just to protect the welfare of its citizens. With this attitude, Europe is turning its back on human values,” CNN quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan said that about half of the “irregular” migrants Turkey has registered in the last three years are from Afghanistan. Turkey hosts around 5 million foreign nationals — including 3.6 million Syrians and 300,000 Afghans, Erdogan said.

His remarks come as desperate Afghans attempt to leave the Taliban-led country. Thousands have flocked to Kabul airport in a bid to flee and now find themselves trapped without any means to escape. (ANI)