Greek police officials say Macedonian authorities have imposed further restrictions on refugees trying to cross the border, saying only those from cities they consider to be at war can enter.
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Hundreds of people, mostly from Afghanistan, had been sleeping rough at Victoria Square after Austria and Balkans countries further north imposed border restrictions and closures. The centre in the border town of Idomeni should be operational by Wednesday, the government said.
Most migrants arrive in the Greek islands over the Aegean Sea from Turkey, but a majority then travel up through the Balkans to wealthy Germany. “Not just the wording that this is urgent, but that it will begin immediately and with a large number”.
Human rights group Amnesty International hit out at the leaders for using Turkey as a buffer to stop migrants, calling the move “a risky and deliberate ploy to shirk their responsibilities to people fleeing war and persecution”.
The deaths come as European Union leaders prepare for a major summit focusing on how to deal with the crisis.
Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters Sunday before departing for a Turkey-EU summit in Brussels that the escalating crisis in Syria has meant that the reduction has been slow.
Anadolu Agency says the coast guard rescued 15 other migrants off the Aegean Sea resort of Didim.
Hundreds of Calais residents are heading to Paris to protest against the negative impact of the migrant crisis on the local economy. The sides would also discuss the quota of refugees from Turkey expected to be resettled in Europe.
“We are expecting Turkey to start finally doing what it should be doing for months now and we also expect our European partners to start receiving refugees in their countries”, Tzitzikostas said.
The bloc has offered several sweeteners to get Turkish authorities to crack down on migrant movements.
At least 25 migrants drowned off the Turkish coast while trying to reach Greece on Sunday, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.
(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis). People wait in queues to receive food distributed by non-governmental organizations at the Athens’ port of Piraeus where over 2,000 stranded refugees and migrants stay at the passenger terminal buildings and their tents, …
European Union leaders agreed in September to share 160,000 refugees arriving in Greece and Italy over two years.
Tsipras said that Europe must “have a credible relocation process”.
A regional governor has called on the Greek government to declare a state of emergency for the area surrounding the Idomeni border crossing where thousands of refugees are stranded due to border restrictions along the route towards Western Europe.
Greek authorities said only about 180 people crossed the border between 6am on Friday and the same time on Saturday morning.
“Whatever it takes. We will go”.
A reporter asked: “You’re not going back for sure?” “Our homes are destroyed, we have nothing to go back to”, said Lasgeen Hassan, 59, from Al Qamishli. Tusk says it is up to Turkey to decide…
“Yet we are not in the European Union”.
He said that will entail protecting the EU’s outer frontiers, dividing up newcomers who have the right to asylum, helping Greece and reaching an accord with Turkey. It used to take refugees and migrants six to eight months to reach their destination countries.
Ahead of the summit in Brussels, some 14,000 people were camped in Greece at the Macedonian border hoping desperately to be allowed to cross.
The statement will be assessed by the 28 leaders after they have met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
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Turkey’s prime minister says there has been a drop in the numbers of migrants moving toward Europe, but acknowledges that the decline isn’t a “dramatic” one.
