On Monday, approximately 600 people on five sailboats and four boats from Turkey were prevented from crossing the Aegean Sea and entering Greece (23). According to the Greek Coast Guard, this is the largest attempt to enter the European country this year. Athens wants to pressure Turkey to fight drug trafficking networks.
The increase in the number of people trying to reach Europe from Turkey in recent days corresponds to a seasonal movement. Every year, transitions – or attempts – multiply after winter. This flow takes place as the warm days that started earlier this year return in April.
From this period, cruising at sea is generally better with lighter winds, making the crossing less dangerous. The Meriç River, which crosses the land border between Turkey and Greece, is also less dangerous as the water level is lower at this time of year.
Deportation of asylum seekers
More than 3,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the country since the beginning of the year, with 1,000 in April alone, according to official Greek figures. While these numbers are high compared to last year, they seem relatively low compared to 2020, when thousands of people arrived in Greece every month.
Also, during the so-called “migration crisis” between 2015 and 2016, more than a million people arrived in Europe in just a few months.
Currently, these arrivals continue, but are relatively limited, largely due to an active policy by Greece to reject asylum seekers and migrants.
This policy is never officially adopted in practice. According to the Geneva Convention, it is illegal to refuse to examine an asylum application that does not prevent re-applications from being frequent.
Pressures on Turkey
If the Greek Coast Guard has decided to report an attempt to cross 600 migrants in one day, it is in part to put pressure on Turkish authorities, which are accused of deterring boarding and fighting against smugglers’ networks.
If the transitions increase too much in the coming months, a scenario like March 2020 may repeat itself. At the time, the Turkish president threatened to open its borders, while Athens decided to temporarily suspend the right to asylum.
source: Noticias
