Greece Builds 40km Barrier and Surveillance Cameras at Border to Stop Afghan Refugees

[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Greece has installed a 40 km-long wall and surveillance cameras along its border with Turkey to prevent the influx of Afghan migrants and refugees, the British BBC reported on the 21st (local time).

This measure was taken after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Erdogan warned of a sharp increase in Afghan migrants and refugees during the call with Prime Minister Mitsotakis. President Erdogan stated, "Afghan-origin migrants and refugees will pose a serious challenge to neighboring countries," adding, "If Afghanistan and Iran do not take necessary measures, the influx (to Europe) is inevitable."

The Greek government declared early on that it would not accept migrants and refugees as the situation became unstable following the Taliban, an Islamic armed group, taking control of Afghanistan. The policy is to immediately send back Afghans who illegally enter Greek territory.

Along with Italy and Spain, Greece serves as a gateway for African and Middle Eastern migrants and refugees heading to Europe.

During the refugee crisis triggered by the Syrian civil war in 2015, about 60,000 people settled in Greece. Since then, as Greek authorities strengthened border controls with Turkey, land-based migration and refugee movements have significantly decreased, but the influx of "boat people" using Mediterranean sea routes continues to this day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.