Greece’s coast guard has denied accusations by the Turkish defence ministry on July 22 that it had pushed back migrants from the island of Lesbos into Turkish territory.
Earlier, Turkey’s defence ministry uploaded a drone video on platform X showing a Greek coast guard operation.
“Our coast guard command was immediately informed and the immigrants in question were rescued by the coast guard boat that arrived in the area,” the Turkish Defence Ministry said on X.
Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığımıza ait İHA ile gerçekleştirilen keşif ve gözetleme faaliyeti esnasında; Yunanistan’a ait Sahil Güvenlik unsurlarının Midilli Adası’nın kuzeyinde kalan bölgede düzensiz göçmenleri taşıyan 1 adet botu, kuzey yönünde Türk kara sularına iterek bölgeden… pic.twitter.com/58cp2i7V9n
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 22, 2024
A senior Greek coast guard official responded that: “This is in no way a pushback, it is detection and prevention of illegal entry into Greek territorial waters.”
Greece, one of the gateways into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has been accused by aid groups of forcibly ejecting migrants at its sea and land borders, also known as “pushbacks,” an illegal practice.
Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean Sea, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.
The latest incident comes two days after the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of part of the island after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation. Turkish Cypriots want a two-state settlement.
The situation remains an emotional trigger for both countries, frustrating Ankara’s ambitions of joining the European Union, and hindering energy potential in the east Mediterranean because of overlapping claims.
In 2023, the two neighbours agreed to revamp their relationship, establishing a roadmap to usher in a new era of closer ties.
Greek police reported that gunfire came from the Turkish side of the river as border patrols were preventing an illegal crossing of migrants from Turkey into Greece on July 20.https://t.co/6Ilo3rq6sM
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 22, 2024
