Greek politician warns of 200,000 refugees inbound
Some 200,000 refugees and migrants would flock to Greece if the agreement between Turkey and the European Union on the refugee crisis collapsed, the vice president of the New Democracy (ND) opposition party, Adonis Georgiadis, warned on Tuesday.
In an interview with Greece’s Skai TV, Georgiadis said that if the conflict between Turkey and European continues, Ankara will break the agreement.
“Then 200,000 refugees and migrants will most likely reach the Greek islands,” he stressed.
The Greek politician noted to the negative economic impact that would result from the mass influx.
According to official statistics, the number of migrants and refugees to Greece has declined by 95 per cent, a year after the EU-Turkey deal was implemented, pointing out that Greece is currently sheltering more than 60,000 refugees.
In March 2016, Turkey and the European Union, in an official meeting held in the Belgium capital Brussels, reached a deal that aimed at combating illegal immigration and human trafficking.
Relations between Turkey and a number of European countries have been strained in recent years. Last week, Germany and the Netherlands prevented two Turkish ministers from entering the country to encourage Turks living in Europe to vote yes in a referendum scheduled in 16 April that would give Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan more power.
