Greece will send an extra 250 border guards to its border with Turkey, from which thousands of migrants attempted to cross into the EU last year.
They will be sent to Evros, a 200-kilometre frontier which is also a hotspot for illegal crossings.
“Everyone knows that Greece is a country that defends peace and stability in a geostrategically difficult region. At the same time, however, Greece is determined to defend its borders, from any intrusion, from any threat. We are on full alert, we are further strengthening our forces in the area,” Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos said.
He praised a new defence pact with France, saying it would make Greece “as a whole is much stronger".
Tens of thousands of asylum seekers attempted to enter Greece in February last year after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would no longer be kept on Turkish territory as part of a 2016 deal with the European Union in return for aid for the refugees.
In response, Greece bolstered its border strength by building a 40km fence and investing in new surveillance. It was also announced in August that a tethered balloon known as an aerostat, equipped with a long-range thermal camera, was to be used at Alexandroupolis Airport to assist with border control.
Greece has repeatedly denied reports of migrants being met with violence and returned back across the land border with Turkey.
Last week, interior and migration ministers from 12 mainly eastern EU states — including Greece — told the European Commission that efforts to counter illegal migration needed to be upgraded.
“To ensure the integrity and normal functioning of the Schengen area, all our external borders must be protected with maximum level of security,” they said.
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Refugees and migrants walk in a dirty road heading to the Turkish-Greek border and trying to enter Europe, in Edirne, Turkey. EPA -
A migrant carries his baby as they walk on railways toward Meritsa river, near Edirne, to take a boat to attempt to enter Greece by crossing the river. AFP -
A UNHCR first reception center for the refugee and migrant arrivals in Skala Sykamias is seen on fire as local residents block the area around it. AFP -
Locals, who prevent migrants on a dinghy from disembarking at the port of Thermi, beat a journalist, as a woman tries to stop them, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. REUTERS -
Greek riot police and the army hold positions as migrants toss rocks and other projectiles on the Greek-Turkish border gate in Kastanies, Greece. Getty Images -
Refugees and migrants are rescued by rope from an island in the middle of Evros river after becoming stucked for the past two days after trying to cross from Turkey to Greece in Edirne, Turkey. Getty Images -
A hooded migrant who, along with other migrants wants to cross into Greece from Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing, prepares to throw a stone at a Greek riot police officer, in Kastanies, Greece. REUTERS -
Migrant children from Syria are seen on a road side near Turkey's Ipsala border crossing with Greece's Kipi, in Edirne, Turkey. REUTERS -
Migrants receive food distributed by non-governmental organizations near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, at the Turkish-Greek border. AP Photo -
Migrants cross Meric river as they walk towards the Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, near Edirne, Turkey. REUTERS -
A group of refugees set up tens against the wind and gather around a fire as they wait to cross the Meric (Evros) river to reach Greece at the Turkish-Greek border, in Edirne, Turkey. EPA -
Refugees are being carried by cart heading to the Turkish-Greek border and trying to enter Europe, in Edirne, Turkey. EPA -
Greek riot police and the army hold positions as migrants toss rocks and other projectiles on the Greek-Turkish border gate in Kastanies, Greece. Getty Images -
Members of the Greek far-right hold a demonstration in front of the Greek-Turkish border gate in Kastanies, Greece. Getty Images -
Greek border guards stands behind the border fences in Edirne, Turkey. Getty Images -
Refugees and migrants from various countries wait on the shoreline for a boat to cross the Evros River in an attempt to reach Greece from Turkey in Edirne, Turkey. Getty Images
Under centre-right prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who came to power in 2019, Greece has sought to limit the number of people arriving at its borders.
He said he was “unapologetic about defending our borders” and that better cooperation with Turkey would prevent human-trafficking.
“I can see no conflict between vigilantly defending our borders and, yes, intercepting boats at sea, while at the same time behaving in a totally humanitarian manner and taking care of those people whose lives are at risk,” he said.
