Athens, 23 June (Reuters) – Greece will deploy two frigates and another vessel from Libya’s territorial waters to discourage migrants on Monday from its southern Islands Crete and Gavdos, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday.
Mitsotakis did not work the role of vessels or explained what they would do, but he said that this step would be in coordination with the Libyan authorities and the rest of the European forces operating in this area.
In recent months, naval arrivals have emerged sharply in recent months from Northeast Libya of Migrants, who are trying to move to Europe mainly from the Middle East and North Africa, including war Sudan. More than 800 migrants have tried to reach the Greek South Islands since Thursday.
Mitsotakis told Greek President Konstantin Tassoulas that this problem was discussed on Sunday during the National Security and Defense Council and that the situation was alarming.
“I asked the Minister of Defense … to ensure that the Greek Navy vessels would be deployed from the territorial waters of Libya to preliminary … She sent a message that people would not order people who would enter our country,” he said.
These three ships, including a support ship, would leave Greece in the coming days, two government officials told Reuters with knowledge of the matter.
Greece is a popular gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015, when almost 1 million people landed on their islands, causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Since then, migrating flows from Turkey have dropped significantly.
In recent years, Greece has seen an increase in the arrival of Libya – including Sudan nationals who fled Egypt, as well as Egyptian and Bangladesh nationals – and athens and Kaahir discussed the increase in migration flows.
Greece and Libya are trying to correct relations tense by agreement signed in 2019 between the Libyan government and Turkey. (Report Lefteris Papadimas; Editing RENEE Maltezou and Aidan Lewis)
(Tagstotranslate) Greece
