Germany said it will not withdraw its Frontex border agents from Greece despite the growing coronavirus pandemic. Greece had asked the EU border agency to increase its support in bolstering its border with Turkey in early March.
The pandemic is dictating Greek asylum policy. The coronavirus forced Turkish President Erdogan to cease blackmail attempts at the border with Greece — but it has afforded Athens the opportunity to push through plans.
According to the Turkish government, some 6,000 migrants waiting at the Turkish-Greek border to cross into the European Union were sent to cities inside the country. The move is reportedly one of several measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The head of Europe's border agency Frontex has said that even with the coronavirus crisis, the pressure on Europe's borders will "remain high." His statement comes as the Greek authorities reported more unrest at its border with Turkey and a UN official criticized Greece for refusing to let people through.
On March 18, the Turkish government announced that it would be closing its borders with EU countries Greece and Bulgaria. The reason: The Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement came a day after talks between some EU leaders and the Turkish president, where more help was promised for Turkey to support migrants and refugees.
The leaders of Germany, Turkey, Britain and France held a video call to try to stop a new EU migration crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to keep to an earlier pact that pays Turkey for taking back migrants.
Turkish government sources say the aim of the video call is to rework a 2016 deal that obliges Turkey to prevent refugees entering the EU in return for financial aid.
Artist und activist Zehra Doan is auctioning of one of her artworks to help fund the migrant rescue missions of NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans.
A Turkish court has sentenced three suspects to 125 years in prison each for the death of three-year-old Alan Kurdi. The toddler drowned along with four others in 2015, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported.
InfoMigrants spoke to several migrants from Northern African on the Turkish-Greek border, who converged there after Ankara announced that the borders would be open. Among them was Mounir, a 43-year-old Moroccan from Casablanca, who says he soon felt disillusioned when he saw the border remained closed.
Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated considerably near the Turkish-Greek border one week after the Turkish government threatened to "open" of the gates to Europe. Many migrants turned back by Greece or stranded in the Turkish border town of Edirne are now considering leaving the area.
The international newspaper The New York Times published a report on March 10 in which it accused the Greek government of detaining migrants at a “secret extrajudicial location before expelling them to Turkey without due process.” The Greek government dismissed the claims.