Greeks reject Erdogan’s plan for refugees

Noura Bendary

The Greek street is angry at Turkey’s refugee policies as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sends refugees back to their home countries. The policies have triggered demonstrations in Greece rejecting the Turkish president’s policies, calling for a solution by the European Union to help Greece solve an influx of refugees the Greek islands.

The Greek protesters say Turkey’s failure to adhere to an agreement signed with the EU in March 2016 has affected their living standards, especially in 5 islands: Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos, which shelter the refugees, citing inability to host large numbers of refugees.

In 2019, Turkey opened its borders for refugees, who then swarmed at the Greek border.

Migrants and the locals have rallied against the Turkish policies. Migrants protested on March 3 in Lesbos against worsening living conditions. Greek activists said on the social media that Turkey’s funds are behind demonstrations held by refugees on the Greek islands to pressure the Greek government, citing that these refugees are rather terrorist cells funded by the Turkish president.

There are more than 38,000 asylum seekers on the five Greek islands, while the total capacity of the camps stands at 6,200 people.

On January 21, France said it wanted to help Greece find a solution to the refugee crisis via a plan that includes receiving 400 asylum seekers from Greece by this summer.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency said that around 75,000 people had illegally crossed to Greece, which is a member state of the European Union, from Turkey in 2019.

Jordanian researcher Iyad al-Majaly, an expert on international relations, told THE REFERENCE that the demonstrations on the Greek islands do not reflect the official stance of the EU member countries.

“The reactions of Greek political activists are on the sidelines with efforts of humanitarian organizations to find a solution to the refugee issue, especially as the Turkish regime is using the Syrian refugees to pressure the EU to make some political gains,” he said.