On Oct. 19, Greece finalised plans to extend a barrier along its northeastern border with Turkey in order to curtail the number of refugees entering Greek territory. This comes after Turkey announced that it will no longer attempt to prevent migrants from entering the European Union.
An additional 26 kilometres will be added to the currently existing 10-kilometre barrier in the Greek city of Evros along the Evros River, which separates Turkey and Greece. The original fence will be upgraded, according to the Greek government’s spokesman Stelios Petsas. As reported by the Associated Press, the fence will be five-meters high and “made using galvanised square steel tubes and concrete foundations.” Four Greek construction companies have been selected to upgrade and extend the existing fencing. The estimated cost for the project is around 63 million euro or $74 million, and it is projected to be completed by the end of April 2021.
Greek police told the AP that their surveillance network will be upgraded to cover the entirety of the border. They have begun testing sirens to deter refugees coming from Turkey from entering. 400 new border guards will be deployed immediately in Evros, and another 800 will be stationed in various Eastern Aegean Islands. An additional 480 will be positioned across the nation.
In a press conference, Petsas stated, “[The fence] sends a clear message in all directions that Greece is protecting Europe's external borders.”
This comes after Turkey declared that it would not stop refugees from entering Europe. Currently, the state houses almost 4 million migrants, the most worldwide, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. As it refuses to house more migrants, Turkey is increasingly utilising refugees as a bartering tool. In September, Turkey accused Greece of illegally forcing migrants back into the Aegean sea, while Greece accused Turkey of using human traffickers to transport migrants into Greece. However, the recent standoff at the Greek-Turkish border resulted in tougher border controls, decreasing the migrant flows into Greece. The coronavirus pandemic has factored into this drop as well.
The two NATO allies have entered a diplomatic crisis in recent months. Fear of violence between the two countries has increased with the militarisation of their respective borders and disputes between oil and gas drilling rights. Turkey has been accused of inciting the diplomatic crisis by sending a research vessel to disputed waters to search for oil and gas. In response, Greece ordered its military to monitor the area. The vessel later left the region following negotiations with Greece, but returned in September to conduct seismic surveys near Kastellorizo, a Greek island. Shortly thereafter, Greece mobilised over 60 ships to watch the vessel. According to VOA News, “State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis warns that any breach of Greek sovereignty will be met with force,” in response to the vessel entering disputed waters.
On Tuesday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias asked the EU to stop exporting military goods to Turkey, saying that “this equipment is being used in actions that destabilize our region.” Denidas also stated that he wrote a letter to Oliver Varhelyi, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, “stress[ing] that Turkey is violating its customs union.”
On Oct. 21, in a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkey’s recent behaviour “imperialistic.” The summit revolved around the cooperation of Eastern Mediterranean nations. Mitsotakis continued by condemning Turkey’s actions, stating, “Turkey’s leadership has fantasies of imperial behaviour with aggressive behaviour from Syria to Libya, Somalia to Cyprus, from the Aegean to the Caucasus.”
According to Reuters, Greece recently signed a deal with Egypt outlining its borders in the Mediterranean, which angered Turkey. The state claimed that the deal violated its territory. At the same time, Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece declared Turkey’s deal with Libya about maritime borders in the Mediterranean “legally invalid.”
In addition, Cyprus, Egypt, and Greece condemned Turkey’s actions, claiming that the state increases tensions and threatens peace in the region. In a joint statement by the three nations, they offered Turkey a chance to join the three-way partnership on the condition that the state stops escalating tensions and enters into negotiations with Cyprus.. In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced the trilateral summit, claiming that it attacked Turkey’s integrity instead of “supporting peace and stability in the region.” The ministry also added that they would not stop trying “to protect [their] rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
As Turkey refuses to back down, tensions will most likely continue to escalate. Amidst territorial disputes, immigration issues, and militarisation, Turkey has further isolated itself in the Eastern Mediterranean. As relations in the region become increasingly strained, the fear of an armed conflict between two NATO allies increases, as does the fear that a war could spiral into Europe.
SOURCE: IR Insider
