European Union officials visited Greece to see for themselves the migrant tensions building on its frontier with Turkey and pledged millions of euros in aid while calling for order after sporadic violence over the weekend.
“Greek authorities are facing a very difficult task in containing the situation,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters during a press conference near the Kastanies crossing on Tuesday. “This border is not only a Greek border, but it is also a European border and I stand here today as a European at your side.”
She said Greece would be able to access as much as 700 million euros ($780 million) to help manage the situation and that Frontex, the EU border protection force, was preparing to deploy a “Rapid Intervention Team,” comprising ships, helicopters and guards. Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took the EU delegation on a helicopter ride to survey the border.
Migrants and refugees began heading toward Greece on Saturday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he’d no longer prevent them crossing into Europe — he says his government can’t handle the large numbers of Syrians fleeing civil war.
Source: Bloomberg
