Greece and Turkey Blame Each Other Amid Accusations
UNHCR Condemns Cruel Treatment, Calls for Full Investigation
[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Ninety-two illegal immigrants were found naked near the Greece-Turkiye (Turkey) border, shocking the international community. Greece and Turkiye, which have been in conflict over the issue of illegal immigrant detention, are blaming each other and raising voices of criticism.
According to Reuters, on the 14th (local time), Greek police rescued 92 illegal immigrants near the Evros River at the Greece-Turkiye border. The Greek government reportedly provided clothing, food, and emergency medical care to the refugees who were found without clothes.
The police stated that all of them were men, found naked at the time, and some had injuries on their bodies. It is unknown how or why they lost their clothes. According to investigations by Greek police and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, they were mainly from Afghanistan and Syria, and attempted to enter Greece by crossing the river on rubber boats from Turkiye.
◆ Greece and Turkiye continue tensions over illegal immigration issues
Greece and Turkiye have been continuously engaged in tensions over illegal immigration. Greece is one of the countries in the EU, along with Italy, that receives the highest influx of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Recently, Greece has strengthened maritime patrols to block migrant inflows. Turkiye is mainly used as a transit point for refugees and migrants heading to Europe, most of whom attempt to enter Greece, which shares a border with Turkiye.
During 2015-2016, when over one million refugees fled to Europe due to the Syrian civil war and the threat of the Islamic extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS), conflicts between the two countries peaked. Subsequently, the two countries signed an agreement in which Turkiye would control refugee inflows in exchange for 6 billion euros (about 7.7 trillion won) in support from the EU. However, last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an reopened the borders, stating that "Europe should bear part of the refugee burden," reigniting tensions.
Greece used this incident to accuse Turkiye of not only encouraging illegal immigration but also treating the immigrants harshly. On the 15th, Notis Mitarachi, Greek Minister of Migration, posted photos of the illegal immigrants on Twitter, criticizing Turkiye's treatment of them as a "disgrace to civilization." Takis Theodorikakos, Greek Minister of Public Order, explained in an interview with local media that "many of them testified that three Turkiye military vehicles transported them to the river at the border," implying Turkiye actively facilitated illegal immigrants crossing into Greece.
In response, Turkiye counterattacked, saying Greece's accusations were baseless. Faretin Altun, spokesperson for the Turkish presidential office, stated on social media, "Greece's fake news machine has started operating again," and countered the allegations by saying, "Greece disrespected the refugees by publicly releasing photos of them naked."
Ismail Catakli, Turkiye's Deputy Minister of Interior, also emphasized, "(Greece) is trying to project its own brutal image onto Turkiye because it could not find any human rights violations by Turkiye."
As the two countries continue to shift blame and engage in disputes, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for an investigation into the incident. UNHCR told the BBC, "We are deeply distressed by the shocking reports and photos," and "We condemn any cruel treatment that undermines dignity and call for a full investigation."
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