Greece is tightening controls at the Turkish border. This is happening because Turkey no longer prevents Syrian refugees who want to go to Europe. A source within the Greek police said that border patrols on land and sea have been doubled and that a general call for increased vigilance has been issued.
Turkish media reported that about three hundred migrants are currently walking northwest toward the Turkish-Greek border. There must be an immediate end to the escalating situation in Syria. This is the call made by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in response to the presumed Russian airstrike in which 33 Turkish soldiers died in the Syrian province of Idlib. He warned of the risk of a “major international military confrontation.”
Idlib is seen as the last stronghold of rebels fighting against the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's army is advancing further in the province. According to the latest reports, nearly one million people have fled the violence. Since 2011, a civil war has been raging in Syria. Most of the country is back under Assad's control. The war has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
A government source said Greece is in contact with the European Union and NATO following the recent escalation in Syrian Idlib. Greece was the main entry point for hundreds of thousands of refugees who streamed out of Turkey during a mass exodus in 2015 and 2016. This ended when the EU struck a deal with Turkey.
The European Union expects Turkey to continue to comply with the 2016 agreements regarding controlling refugee flows. No official message has come from Ankara stating that the policy will change or the deal will be terminated.
“The deal still stands, as far as we are concerned,” said the commission spokesperson. The EU executive is looking into the validity of reports that migrants are heading toward Europe. “We will not speculate about a large influx of people.”
In the agreement, Turkey and the EU agreed that Ankara would control its borders to prevent migrants from crossing. Both parties agreed that all migrants arriving in Greece may be sent back. For every migrant returned, Europe would allow a Syrian refugee to enter the EU.
In Turkey, social media such as Twitter and Facebook have been shut down following the attack on Turkish soldiers. This way, Turkey maintains control over rumors claiming many more deaths.