Refugees and migrants flow has intensified after the failed coup in Turkey. According to official data from the Greek Migration Ministry and the Coast Guard.
Since the failed coup attempt on July 15th, new arrivals from Turkey to Greece have increased with the daily average to reach 100 people.
July 29 2016 a total of 118 refugees and migrants have been registered as new arrivals on Lesvos (104), Leros (13) and Chios (1).
A day earlier a total of 108 people arrived, while on July 27th, there were 85 people.
According to latest data a total of 9,313 refugees and migrants are trapped on the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea: 3,933 on Lesvos, 2,555 on Chios, 1,344 on Samos, 979 on Kos and 678 on Leros.
It is logical that refugees and migrants trying to reach Greece fearing of the unstable political situation in Turkey. Even though they know, that they will be simply arrested and will have to submit asylum request, with the risk to be sent back to Turkey to remain high due to the EU Turkey deal.
It is also logical that Ankara is currently much too busy with purging and persecuting the Gulenists than keeping an eye on the smugglers at its south-west coast and trying to implement the EU Turkey Migration deal.
However, amid the political turbulence in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – apparently angered by Europeans criticizing the unprecedented dimensions of Ankara’s purge and witch hunt – reminded Europe of the Refugee issue for which he holds the keys.
Speaking to German state ARD broadcast two days ago, Erdogan said
“Turkey still hosts three million people. What would Europe do if we let these people go to Europe?”
He accused the European governments of being “not honest” and claimed that the EU has not paid the 3 billion euro it had promised together with the deal.
Prompt was the answer of the European Commission that issued a statement saying that the EC has already mobilised €2.155 billion out of foreseen €3 billion for this and next year.
The EU has mobilised more than €2 billion to finance actions in the field of health, education, socio-economic support as well as humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees.
€79 million have been allocated for humanitarian aid projects to a number of partners, including UN agencies, international organisations as well as international NGOs.
€169million has been allocated to Turkey in 2016
Over €1.4 billion in support of refugees who fled from the war in Syria and to assist their host communities has been approved as Special Measure.
PS just curious to know whether so called “Gulenists” and families of persecuted enemies of Erdogan are using also the Greek sea way to flee Turkey. Even if they get arrested, they might feel safer in Greece than in their own country. If Erdogan continues the big scale purge politics, fleeing Turks might even be granted “political asylum in EU.”
Actually smart and stupid Bavaria already announced to take Gulenists in and so will grant asylum to Islamists.
Sure the Gulenists are fleeing.
Note that the EU 3 billion-to-Turkey is in fact only 169 million. The rest of the listed expenditure including to the Soros NGOs is not to Turkey’s benefit. Why should Turkey continue to house these people and pay for them? Why should Turkey continue to bow to NATO by providing free passage for Afghani, Pakistani, Nepalese, Iraqis being bussed to Europe by our governments?
It will be interesting to see what happens refugee-wise if “we” NATO are forced to wage “humanitarian” war on Turkey to save the Gulenists and make a pseudo-Kurdistan .