Photos reminiscent of the migrations of summer 2015. After the death of at least 33 of its soldiers in the Syrian region of Idleb attributed to the Syrian regime supported by Russia, Turkey has waved the migratory red cloth which paralyzes European countries, by allowing the passage of Syrian or Middle Eastern refugees to Europe.
In this context, a senior Turkish official said that Ankara would no longer prevent migrants trying to reach Europe from crossing the border. Turkey thus calls into question the controversial pact concluded with the EU in 2016 and which had drastically reduced flows via Greece. The European Commission said on Friday it had received no official notification from Ankara.
"We are leaving to go to Germany"
Encouraged by the announcement, many refugees in Turkey took advantage of the situation. Many have left Istanbul to go by bus or taxi to Edirne, a Turkish city near the Greek border post at Kastanies.
"The (Greek-Turkish) border is open [...], so today we're leaving to go to Germany," said Sebghatullah Amani, a 20-year-old Afghan man, who has been living in Turkey for three years, told AFP. But the road will be strewn with pitfalls.
The Greek and Bulgarian authorities have strengthened security at their border. On Friday, several hundred migrants were stranded in the buffer zone between Greece and Turkey. "I want to be clear: no illegal entry will be tolerated," wrote Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Twitter, noting that "Greece has tightened the security of its borders" with Turkey.
Greece no longer wants to suffer other people's decisions
The head of government, who spoke with his European partners about the border situation, warned that "Greece will not take responsibility for the tragic events in Syria and will not suffer the consequences (arising) from the decisions made by others ”. More than 38,000 migrants crammed into camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, while these facilities are only planned for 6,200 people.
A few hours earlier, AFP journalists had seen, at the border post of Kastanies, numerous trucks of the Greek army bringing fences of barbed wire. The Greek chief of staff and the Minister of Citizen Protection went to Kastanies on Friday following a government decision to make border controls more "severe", according to a government source.
Boats arrive in Lesbos
The Turkish news agency DHA has reported the arrival of other migrants on the coast of Ayvacik, in the province of Çanakkale (western Turkey), seeking to reach the Greek island of Lesbos by boat. AFP journalists noted the arrival in Lesbos of two boats with a total of 70 asylum seekers on board from Turkey, including many families with children.
"Once again, asylum seekers are used as a bargaining chip in a deadly political game, a foreseeable consequence of the EU-Turkey agreement," said Massimo Moratti, deputy director of Amnesty International.