Greece has vowed to continue with its increasingly hardline approach to migration, with a minister saying the country did not want to become a "gateway" for people smuggling operations into Europe.
Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis defended last month's government declaration that Turkey, which borders Greece, is a safe country for asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia and Syria.
EU member state Greece could now return asylum seekers from those five countries to Turkey.
Mr Mitarakis said he believed that there was “no risk” for Afghans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Somalians and Syrians in Turkey, which he described as “a properly functioning country”.
Around 47 per cent of asylum seekers in Greek island camps are Afghans, 15 per cent are Syrians and nine per cent are from Somalia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February 2020 said he would let migrants seeking to reach the EU to pass through Turkey, an announcement that angered Greece.
“In our case, Greece follows a strict but fair migration policy," Mr Mitarakis told a webinar organised by the London School of Economics.
"We clearly provide asylum to those entitled, but do not want to be the gateway to Europe for smuggling networks, nor can we allow smugglers to decide who will migrate to Europe.”
Pressed on his migration policy, Mr Mitarakis defended his government’s strict stance and described it as a “constitutional responsibility”.
“We are very frank about it. We are protecting our borders,” he said.
Athens has been accused by human rights groups of illegally deporting some migrants to Turkey without letting them apply for asylum. The Greek government rejects the claims.
In April, Greece accused Turkey of seeking to "provoke an escalation" in the Aegean Sea, using "dangerous" manoeuvres to assist migrants illegally.
This month, Mr Mitarakis defended Greece’s use of sound cannon to deter migrants from crossing into the country.
More than 1,000 people have reached Greece from Turkey this year, the UN’s refugee agency says, compared to 810,000 migrants in 2015.
The five pillars of Islam
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now